Perceptual Illusion

We are manipulating the aspects of perception and motion. We used the camera angle and ball roll to make the viewer perceive an impossible, continuous staircase that sits on one plane.

For the visual illusion, we are using the Penrose Steps illusion. The 3d printed staircase is filmed at such an angle that each flight connects to form a uniform square and makes it seemingly "infinite". We then use a ball made of clay to "fall" down the steps using a stop motion animation. For the sound aspect of the illusion, we created a continuously falling sound that looped over itself just before it concluded so that the sound appears to be continuously falling as the ball is falling.