THE MOON ILLUSION

In the period March 2-13, 2015, the experiment “The Moon Illusion” was held by Rapid Eye.

Samuel Gustavsson from the group talks briefly about the experiment here.

Experiment station: What did your experiment consist of?
We started from the question of how an illusion is experienced. What it consists of and how it theoretically works.
We tried to translate this practical and theoretical knowledge into doing other things.
Is it possible, and if so, how do you create optical or real illusions in a set design that consists of a 13-layer wire curtain. And could projections be part of the illusion?
Our goal was to investigate optical illusions in relation to projections.

The testing station: What was your study?
Can the sensation of illusions occur even if the illusion is not performed in a practical sense.

The Experiment Station: What did you get out of doing the experiment at The Experiment Station?
The group was immersed in how illusions work and how we experience them. How little or how much is needed to create the feeling of magic. But it’s dependent on the audience and the player being on board.
And we explored what the minimum requirements are to create this play.

Experiment station: Is there anything from the experiment that you can use in your future work?
Absolutely. We have a text that mimics the experience of an illusion. A juggling act that soars. A shadow that doesn’t follow the shadow’s owner. Tactics and strategy for a new and secret sport. We have taken some elements and, in the last week of the experiment, developed them into scenes that will most likely be part of the upcoming performance “The Moon Illusion” at Copenhagen Music Theatre.

The experiment was made by a team including artist and performer Samuel Gustavsson, artist and performer Petter Wadsten, artist, choreographer and director Lars Bethke and choreographer and video artist Solvejg Hockings.