Theme Park Sculpture

Little Door, Long Hallway

foam board, cardboard, spray paint, fabric, beads

20" x 19" x 17"

Artist Statement:

This sculpture draws inspiration from the concept of forced perspective commonly used in theme parks. This artistic technique aims to immerse visitors in an alternate environment by visually depicting buildings and structures that appear larger than their actual size. Theme parks utilize forced perspective to create an illusion of grandeur and scale, enhancing the overall immersive experience for guests. In my sculpture, I wanted to portray the use of forced perspective. I created, what appears visually, a long hallway using the concept of forced perspective. I wanted the small door to be the focal point since it shows the scale changing from small to large as you look outward from the center. 

Research #1 

The Science of Forced Perspective at Disney Parks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqefjmRVLTM

In this video, it emphasizes how forced perspective, a technique used in theme parks and film, creates illusions of size and distance to enhance experiences. It explains how our depth perception, influenced by visual and cognitive cues, can be manipulated to perceive objects differently. By analyzing this concept, we can understand why some forced perspective illusions, like those in Disneyland's Main Street USA, effectively trick our minds into perceiving buildings as taller than they actually are, while others, like those at EPCOT's American Adventure pavilion, are less convincing when viewed up close and reveal their true scale.

Research #2

Borromini & the Art of Illusion

https://www.walksinrome.com/blogging-about-rome-its-history-art-and-culture/the-forced-perspective-gallery-by-borromini-palazzo-spada-rome

"The 16th century Palazzo Spada is home to a spectacular example of forced perspective, the creation of that genius of Baroque architecture, Francesco Borromini (1599-1667). 

Forced perspective is a technique which employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. 

One of the most famous examples of forced perspective was created in 1653 for Cardinal Bernardino Spada. Borromini designed a barrel-vaulted colonnade for the cardinal that looks much longer than it is (9 metres/30 feet). He achieved this illusion by making the two sides of the colonnade converge and by reducing the height of  the columns as they recede."