Hailed by some to be the world’s first autostereogram music video, James Houston’s “Palomides” for group Washington Irving forces viewers to defocus their eyes “Magic Eye style,” turning the video into a 3D animation. Utilizing Stereograms, an optical illusion technique dating back to the beginning of modern filmmaking, static images are able to transform into moving pictures.
“You don’t need any special lenses or a fancy television, simply de-focus your eyes and look ‘through’ the image,” explains Houston. “It works thanks to the horizontal repetition. Each of your eyes are looking at a different repeated element but your brain sees them as the same thing.” He gives the viewer some pro tips in case you lose the visual groove: “Don’t cross your eyes, look straight ahead (through the image) as though you’re focusing on the horizon. It may help to pause the video if you lose the effect and use the dots at the beginning to calibrate your eyes.”
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This is the same phenomenon that occurs when looking at patterned wallpaper, or a screen-covered window. Don’t look too hard though, you may fry your corneas. On second thought, this video is so cool, that maybe it’s worth the retina damage.
Check out the full video above for more.
For more information on Houston, visit 1030.co.uk.
via Isn’t That Nice
