Illusory New Year videos

illusions-with-people

The word “Illusions” written in an impossible 3-D font (namely such a font cannot exist in the real world – akin to the Penrose triangle and impossible staircase)

Since 2008 our family has been making short videos to welcome the new year. These are no ordinary videos, often requiring days of discussion, planning, construction, shooting and editing. Our videos never feature us (expect maybe a still-shot of the entire family towards the end) but are usually typographical in nature. There is some kind of visual illusion involved, sometimes a play on words synchronized to music. The videos have become more elaborate over the years and the challenge, of course, is to create something that tops what we had done in the past years. As you can imagine this has become more and more difficult as the years go by. What makes things more complicated is that we have no budget to speak of ($10 is around as much as we have ever spent in any given year). Working on these videos has led to is some great family moments, as we argue, discuss, collaborate and create. Here they are in reverse chronological order:

Reflection: Welcome 2024 (The science behind the video)

Flip/Flop: Goodby 2022 – Welcome 2023 (The science behind the video)

Goodbye 2021 – Hello 2022 (the science behind the video)

Goodbye 2020 (the science behind the video)

Writing with Light, 2019 (the science behind the video)

Reflect on 2018 (the science behind the video)

Sliding into 2018 (the science behind the video)


Perspective: Goodbye 2016, Welcome 2017 (the science behind the video)

2016- The Transformation (blog post)

2015 – Inside-Out: Floating cubes with a twist (blog post)

2014 – Point of view: What a difference it can make (blog post)


2013 – Dimensions: 2D or 3? (blog post)


2012 – The tricks that color can play (blog post)


2011 – The power of the shadow (blog post)


2010 – Stop motion & play-doh (blog post)

2009 (1) – Skittles, a car and a tortoise (blog post)


2009 (2) – Shreya’s Magic Touch