You Can't Swim in Artist Leandro Erlich's Pool (But You Can Walk Along the Bottom)
One of our favourite, most Instagrammable optical illusions to date.
Sometimes, the semblance of reality can be just as powerful as reality itself. Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich has put this idea to the test (in the prettiest way possible). He’s built an underground swimming pool that looks like it’s filled with water. Built in 2004, the pool is a permanent installation at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan — after a stint at MoMA PS1 in New York.
Standing above it, watching the sunlight filter through what seems to be shimmering liquid, viewers are pretty much ready to jump in. But, stepping closer, they soon discover that, what looks like a deep pool is a 10cm-high layer of water, encased in glass, and suspended over an empty space.
Visitors can actually step into this empty space and look upwards — it’s a photographer’s dream. Consequently images of fully-clothed toddlers and adults in business suits seemingly submerged have flooded the Internet.
The 21st Century Museum site reads, “While undermining our everyday assumptions about what we think to be obvious, the work invites our active involvement in its spaces — once we catch on to its deception — and produces a sense of connection between people looking at each other.”
Erlich was born in Buenos Aires in 1973 and still lives there. He has exhibited all over the world, from London’s Barbican to New York’s Sean Kelly Gallery.
Via Fubiz. Images: Leandro Erlich.
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