Internationally known for his captivating, three-dimensional visual illusions, Argentine artist Leandro Erlich defies the laws of gravity with his GiantMirror art installation by letting the audience feel as though they are literally walking across the façade of buildings. The 3D installation invites active audience participation and encourages them to lie down on the various parts of the platform and look up at their reflections, challenging their sense of space and understanding of visual reality.
The work resembles a movie set featuring a life-size façade lying flat on the ground and an 11 m high by 7 m wide ShowTex GiantMirror, mounted on a made-to-measure modular frame and positioned overhead at a 45-degree angle to create the optical illusion of seeing the front of the building. When you walk over the horizontal surface, the mirror foil reflects your image, creating the illusion that you are walking up the walls, balancing over the cornices, dangling from the windows or hanging off the side of the building.
Convinced by a number of benefits, Erlich opted for a Full Mirror Silver foil instead of a glass mirror. Being lightweight, foil is more convenient to set up and requires fewer installers. Mounted on an aluminium frame, GiantMirror has the same reflective surface and reflection properties as a glass mirror, including distortion-free mirrored images even when the mirror consists of several panels that are welded together.
Our techniques are so well developed that the weld is almost invisible! And for easy transport, you can simply roll it on a tube and even take apart the pieces of the modular frame.
Seeing Is Not Believing - Houston
The installation of the enormous mirror hanging at a 45-degree overhead angle was definitely a huge undertaking, however, I am very pleased and impressed with ShowTex’s on site work and the final result!
Leandro Erlich
Bâtiment - Shandong
Berlin Façade - Germany
