Merchants Store – Sydney Festival

Overview

If you wander down to Darling Harbour during Sydney Festival you might catch a glimpse of people dangling precariously from a 19th-century building. However, these daredevils are actually partaking in an optical illusion. Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich allows you to experience the impossible with his interactive work Merchants Store.

This delightful work is comprised of a facade lying flat on the ground with a mirror positioned perpendicular, creating the illusion of an upright building. Viewers are free to roam the uncanny architecture, scale the walls or casually lounge inside a window frame for an unmissable photo opportunity. After enjoying success in both Paris and London, this unique public art project invites creative Sydneysiders to defy the laws of gravity.

Elrich is a master of 3D optical illusions. His works are visually confounding, creating spaces with unstable boundaries that challenge our understanding of human perception. His practice thrives on the psychological double-take; it is playful and humorous whilst continually provoking the viewer to question what it is we call 'real.'

Image by Gar Powell-Evans. Barbican Art Gallery 2013.