The ancient Egyptians mummified more than just human corpses. Animals were viewed not only as pets, but as incarnations of gods. As such, the Egyptians buried millions of mummified cats, birds, and other creatures at temples honoring their deities.

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Geometrical algorithms produce anamorphic art. The planar and conical cases are quite elementary. However cylindrical ones test a artist’s or mathematician’s ability to a greater degree. The mathematical association was lost in the subsequent centuries. Currently, scientists at Guelph University in Ontario, Canada have re-discovered the transform equations needed for producing anamorphs.

In the arts, an image created with this technique can appear extremely difficult to comprehend. Or perhaps, in some case, the items are just slightly skewed. The concept of perspective didn’t exist in European art until the 14th century. With perspective came play; the artist began to manipulate images to create illusions.

A sixteenth century painter named Hans Holbein, the Younger (1497-1543), painted one of the most famous examples of an anamorphosis. His painting called “The Ambassadors,” is one of two men standing in front of tables full of books, instruments, and globes. At the bottom, Holbein painted what turns out to be a grinning skull when the painting is slanted the right way.

With anamorphosis, the viewer must change his or her perception of the painting or image in order to comprehend it. This is often done with mirrors. It can also be done by relaxing and squinting the eyes to see a concealed image, or by stepping aside and viewing the picture from a different position.

Anamorphosis can be done with a rather tedious graphing technique. However, it is enjoying resurgence in popularity. Have a go at it.

Begin with two sheets of graph paper. The first graph paper should be ruled into squares. The second one should be ruled into the same number of trapezoids. A trapezoid is a four sided, four angled (quadrilateral) plane that has two parallel lines and two non-parallel lines.

Draw the picture on the square grid.

Carefully draw the corresponding part of the picture on the corresponding trapezoid. Stretch each line as necessary to fill the grid and make the lines touch each other at either end of the boxes.

The end result should be a distorted version of the original picture. In this case, all you need to do is tilt the distorted picture at the proper angle in order to be able to see the original image. Play with it.

Small people participate in the “Kingdom of the Dwarves” show in Yunnan province, China, Nov. 11, 2009. The “Kingdom of The Dwarves” was opened last summer with more than 100 little people from all over China, forming a unique community

The whole country of gnomes in China! As if in a fairy tale

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According to a growing number of international brain experts, optical illusions do not only fool the eyes as to their contents, but also the human brain, which tends to perceive everything it sees literally. For example, when looking at an illusionary trick meant to inspire movement, some people actually get motion sick, although they obviously know that nothing is moving in the image, and that everything is just a figment of their imagination.

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology has recently announced that Japanese researchers at the Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, led by Akiyoshi Kitaoka, surveyed brain activity levels of test participants, using fMRI, a new technique that allows real-time observations of the changes that occur in the parts of the brain that usually process information. Before the study, the widespread belief was that illusions were generated by higher levels of brain activity, namely by imagination.

However, the recent study, published in the Journal of Vision, as part of a neuroimaging series, shows that when people view illusions, it’s not imagination that makes them perceive movement, but rather a part of the brain from the visual cortex, which is regularly involved in detecting and interpreting real physical motion and movement. “The illusory motion percept is not just the observer’s imagination,” Tohoku University associate professor Ichiro Kuriki, PhD, who has also been a member of the research team, says.

For the study, the team used the Rotating Snakes illusion, which was made up of many circles, carefully drawn in such a manner that they appeared to be in constant motion when compared to each other. The drawing is very vivid, and the researchers noticed that, whenever people would move their eyes from one circle to another, their visual cortex, and especially the physical movement detection region, would “light up,” denoting higher levels of activity.

Understanding how these illusions act on the human mind, and especially what shapes are prone to creating confusion may help designers of all trades create better products that do not confuse people through their highly-elaborate design. This is especially important in cars or surgical equipments, for example, as human lives are at stake.

Crafted by artists from hundreds of tonnes of ice, this shimmering city completely transforms the chilly streets of Harbin.

As well as the intricately carved buildings, there are ice-slides, igloos, pagodas and even a replica of Disneyland.

Spectacular: Incredible buildings crafted from ice in the Chinese city of Harbin attract around 800,000 tourists every year

Slippery slope: Visitors try out the ice slides which are one of the festival’s major attractions

At night the whole complex is illuminated with multi-coloured lights and ice-lanterns.

There is also a 160m high Father Christmas which organisers say is the tallest ice sculpture in the world.

The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, which is in its 25th year, expects to welcome 800,000 visitors over the next few weeks with the festival expected to close at the end of February, weather permitting.

Harbin, which sits on the edge of Siberia, is one of China’s chilliest spots and overnight temperatures are expected to remain below freezing for the next few weeks

Works of art: The sculptures take weeks to create, only to melt again when the weather gets warmer

Despite the biting cold, festival goers have also been lining up to swim in frosty pools.

Bizarrely, the event also attracts couples from across China who descend on the city for some very white weddings.

At least 20 couples got married in a mass ceremony earlier this month.

Organisers had been worried global warming could have a cataclysmic effect on their extraordinary festival.

Fairy tale scene: Fireworks explode over Harbin. The festival is now in its 25th year

Winter wonderland: Some of the sculptures are based on traditional buildings such as the pagoda

Most of their concerns proved unfounded though unseasonably warm temperatures did make the job particularly challenging according to sculptor Tang Guangjun.

‘The weather swings between warm and cold, so it becomes very wet and slippery on the ice. It is very dangerous for us,’ he said.

Ice palace: At night the whole complex is lit up with multi-coloured lights

The display is expected to boost local trade during the economic downturn.

‘It can stimulate the economy and consumption.  When people feel happier, they will want to spend more, so it will lift the economy of the city and even the country,’ said Li Qingsheng, a tourist from Beijing.

Cold climate: Another of the extraordinary creations

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