Bird in a Cage Illusion

Create a visual illusion where a bird drawn on one side of some paper, and a cage drawn on the other, appear as though the bird is in the cage.

What you need:

  • 2x notecards
  • coloured markers
  • skewer/pencil/stick
  • sticky tape

What to do:

  1. On one card, draw a bird in the middle of the card.
  2. On the other card, draw a cage in the middle of the card, larger than the bird.
  3. Colour in the bird (optional).
  4. Stick the two cards, with the pictures pointing out, around the skewer/pencil.
  5. As fast as you can, spin the skewer in your hands, turning the cards around and around.

What happens:

If you spin the cards fast enough, it should look like the bird is inside the cage. This occurs because your eyes can continue to see images even after they aren’t there anymore. These are called after-images. Your eyes continue to see the bird or the cage, even though you are seeing the image on the other card, making it look like you are seeing the cage and the bird at the same time.

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