NOW you see it, now you don't. The latest craze in the art world is to stand in front of a poster and lose yourself in its brightly-coloured swirls. When your eyes have taken on an unfocused glaze, the pattern seems to reshape itself into dolphins, the Space Shuttle or dinosaurs. This is three-dimensional computer-generated art called Holusion.
According to Michael Howick, marketing manager of Inter-Resource Enterprise, the company responsible for introducing Holusions to Hong Kong, the name was taken from the words hologram and illusion. Created by an American artist and computer whiz, the 3-D brain-teasers were first launched in the United States where they caught on like wild fire, moving swiftly on to the UK, Europe and Australia.
Holusions proved equally popular at Pacific Place recently. 'We were utterly mobbed,' said Mr Howick. 'We had to call the security guards.' Holusion comes in the form of posters, calendars, postcards and books. There are a variety of patterns to choose from, including one that shows a B2 Stealth Bomber, a F117 Nighthawk, the Statue of Liberty, and a shoal of marine life.
To create the artwork, an image is covered with a series of laser-printed colours. These colours act as a curtain for the picture underneath. The combination tricks the eye and creates a 3-D illusion.
But there is a trick to seeing the hidden image. Firstly, you must be in the right frame of mind - and that does not necessarily mean with a cocktail in hand. It takes a couple of minutes to get the hang of it. The Holusion is easier to see if it is behinda piece of glass, or some other reflective substance.
Stand a couple of metres away, and stare at your reflection in the glass. Try to focus on a relatively small focal point. It helps if the object is bright, so you might want to hold up a watch or ring. If you cannot clearly see your reflection, focus on whatever reflection you can see, such as a light in the background.