If you’ve visited Liberty Science Center recently, you may have noticed something peculiar upon entering the building: a rocket bursting out of the floor!

This is an optical illusion designed by California-based artist Tracy Lee Stum, who has gained worldwide attention with her mind-bending 3D street paintings and chalk drawings (take a look at her Instagram page!).

We asked Tracy to make this optical illusion for us in celebration of our new Illusion exhibit. Now that hundreds of people have had the experience of seeing (and playing with) Tracy’s painting, we chatted with her to learn more about her out-of-this-world design.

How do you and your team produce a 3D optical illusion painting like this?

We put a giant piece of canvas up on the wall and we actually work on the wall. We don’t work on the floor.

The technique, or method, that we use is called anamorphic projection. Imagine yourself hovering above the artwork once it’s installed and you’re up in the air, looking at it from overtop. That’s the view we actually draw onto the canvas.

Wow, that’s really interesting!

Yeah, the design really doesn’t look like much until you stand at the viewpoint and look at it through a camera lens.

Why is the camera so important when it comes to capturing the illusion?

When you look at the picture in the camera lens, you’re not seeing the peripheral. That way, it looks believable – it really makes you go, “Oh my gosh, there’s a hole in the floor!”

It’s amazing how that works, and I love playing with people’s ideas of perception and creating something beautiful and magical and surprising in a space that would usually just be a regular piece of floor.

What kind of reactions do you love to see with your artwork?

I love it when people unleash their imagination and allow their inner actor to come out! Be an astronaut. Pretend that you really are in outer space. For me, the most rewarding thing is when I can help other people engage with the playful side of themselves.

It’s interesting, because when I create a design I expect people to interact with it in a certain way. But then people come along and do all sorts of things that I didn’t even imagine, and I love to see that. I love it when people take ownership of the painting.

Come see Tracy’s painting in-person on your next visit to Liberty Science Center, and learn more about optical illusions in our new Illusion exhibit.