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Al Seckel's Homepage of Illusions, Perception & Cognitive Science
Al Seckel with Priscilla Heard and Richard Gregory
Research Focus
I am extensively collecting, researching, and experimenting with illusions to understand what conditions are necessary for them to work. Illusions can provide a wonderful window into how the brain works by revealing hidden underlying mechanisms in a way that normal perception fails to do. I am particularly interested in understanding the neuronal correlates of visual and other types of sensory illusions, that is, how they can be explained in terms of the electrophysiology and neuroanatomy of the retinal and cortical networks that mediate visual perception. I have specialized in the following areas:
Brightness Perception Recovery of 3D from 2D Size and Distance Perception Cross-Modal Illusions
I am also interested in mental spatial imagery and looking for patients who have this particular deficit. I am doing this research in conjunction with my colleagues in Stephen Kosslyn's laboratory at Harvard University. I officially stopped my long-term affiliation with the Shimojo and Koch laboratories at the California Institute of Technology in 2005 to pursue my own independent research and book writing activities.
Lectures
"Let me first congratulate you and the Singapore Science Centre in organizing this morning's lecture by Al Seckel. I have enjoyed every single minute of it and I must admit that I have never been so overwhelmed with so much incredible stuff (he) cared to share with us this morning. It had got to go down as one of the best lectures that I have attended in all my life." -- Chua Soo Nam, Lecturer, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
"Many thanks again for Your Mind's Eye, which both in terms of numbers and interest shown was the high point of the University of Cambridge's contribution to the National Science Week...I have already been asked by the University if it would be possible to show the material again next year...to witness the great enthusiasm generated by your work" -- Richard Stibbs, University of Cambridge
"AMAZING! Thank you so much for taking the time to give the talk at the [MIT] Media Center today. I was one of the stragglers who had to stand in back, because the room was packed and with good reason. :-)" -- Rachana Oza, graduate student, MIT"I am still getting compliments for your superb lecture at Boston University." -- Sheldon Glashow, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Boston University
"Hey, I know you get thousands of these emails, but rock on, that was the best lecture ever! I'm fascinated with optical illusions, and the visuals you provided were amazing!" -- Karen Clima, Cornell University
"Many thanks for the terrific lecture last night at Cornell!" -- Professor Jim Maaas, Weiss Presidential Fellow of Psychology, Cornell University
I have given invited lectures on illusions and perception at many of the world's leading universities, including Caltech, Harvard, MIT, Cornell, UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC, UCI, USCD, and internationally at the University of Cambridge, Oxford University, University of London, University of Rome, University of Lund, University of Utrecht, University of Bristol, and so on. I was an invited speaker at the 100th birthday celebrations of the birth of the noted graphic artist M.C. Escher in Italy and have been a frequent lecturer at the Gatherings for Martin Gardner held in Atlanta, GA.
I am an invited participant in John Brockman's Third Culture group, which is a think tank featuring accomplished thinkers and achievers, who speak out publically on a variety of issues. Please visit this highly interesting web site edge.org
I also give general popular lectures to teacher and school groups. If you are interested in booking a lecture, please contact me at the e-mail below.
I am also involved in mentorship programs with academically gifted students with the Institute for Educational Advancement. To learn about my mentorship program here, please click on this link. http://www.educationaladvancement.org/programs/students/apprenticeship/schedules.php
For more biographical details, please see my biographical entry in Wikipedia.
I have the following lectures currently scheduled. Please check for updates:
"Shedding Light on Brightness Perception"
for Rodney Douglas's Infomatics Group at the University of Zurich on October 31, 2003."The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
for Shiela Nirenberg's vision class at UCLA on Nov. 25, 2003."The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
New England BioLabs, Beverly, MA on Jan. 22, 2004. 11:30 a.m. Seminar Room. Host Rich Roberts"The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
for Harvard Vision Sciences Laboratory. Jan 23, 2004. 12:00 p.m. Room 765, William James Hall, Harvard University. Host Patrick Cavanagh"The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
MIT on Jan. 26, 2003. MIT Media Lab. 1:30 p.m. Bartos Theatre. Host Marvin Minsky, Ted Adelson"The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
Boston University on Jan 27, 2004. 3:15 p.m. Room SCI-107. Hosted by Boston University Physics Department. Host Shelly Glashow"Visual Scandal: Humor, Joy, and Surprise in Design"
for the TED conference on Feb 26, 2004 in Monterey, CA."The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
for the Singapore Science Centre on March 8, 2004. The Singapore Science Centre will be hosting additionally a series of educational workshops during the week of March 8 - March 13. Time and place to be announced."Really Cool New Illusions" Gathering for Martin Gardner, March 25, 2004 in Atlanta, GA. "Underlying Neuronal Mechanisms of Visual Illusions"
California Institute of Technology, April 16th, 2004 2:00 p.m. Moore Hall. Christof Koch's CNS/BI 120 Class."The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, IL on May 21, 2004. 11:00 a.m. Building 203. Hosted by Physics Division Colloquium."The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
Cornell University on September 14, 2004. Kennedy Auditorium 7:30 p.m. The lecture will be open to the general public. Part of the Presidential Lecture Series hosted by Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman together with the Cornell Division of Neurobiology and Behavior."Shedding Light on Brightness Perception"
Cornell University on September 16th, 2004. Time and place to be announced. Hosted by the Cornell Division of Neurobiology and Behavior"The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
for Shiela Nirenberg's vision class at UCLA on Nov. 4, 2004."Illusions: A Window into Perception and the Workings of the Inner Mind"
New Horizons in Science, November 7 - 10th, 2004. Keynote address. Sponsored by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. Conference held at the University of Arkansas. Details to follow."The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
Princeton University. Hosted by Dr. Paul Steinhardt and the Princeton Physics Division Colloquium. Date, time, and place to be announced"The World's Most Powerful Illusions: A Journey Through the Mind's Eye"
Keynote address for the Math and Science Education Conference, Casper College, Wyoming on Jan 7, 2005.I am also assisting with two 2004 classes on visual illusions. The first (Winter session) is in the USC Department of Psychology taught by professor Bosco Tjan. The second (Spring semester) is in the UCLA Department of Psychology and is taught by professor Zili Liu.
In addition, I am a member of the local organizing committee for the 2005 ECVP (European Conference on Visual Perception) to be held in A Coruna, Spain, August 22-26, 2005. I will be helping to organize a series of lectures and exhibits co-sponsored by ECVP and A Corona's Fine Art Museum on Optical Illusion Art and Perception.
Books
"Your collections of illusions are superb and filled with very impressive and sometimes overwhelmingly powerful images. Great stuff!" -- Douglas Hofstadter, Pulitzer Prize winning author, Gödel, Escher, Bach, Your Mind's I, and Metamagical Themes.
"What a gorgeous and wonderful collection of illusions. Many of the illusions were startling and unfamiliar to me." -- Martin Gardner, former columnist for "Scientific American", and author of over 80 books on mathematical recreations, puzzles, and science.
"This is the most striking collection of illusions that I have ever seen. I have taught perception and visual cognition at the university level for decades, but many of the illusions were new to me." -- Dr. Irving Biederman, USC.
"... is very good. I mean very, very good. And so many new illusions." -- Dr. Christoph Koch, Executive Officer, Computational and Neuronal Systems, California Institute of Technology.
"This visually stunning collection will appeal to illusion enthusiasts as well as to art lovers ... One could spend hours exploring its thoughtful arrangement and the excellent quality full-color and black and white reproductions. There is factual information about the science behind the illusions, a bit about the artists, and about the different types of illusions. However, this is, by and large, a sophisticated coffee-table book that young people will enjoy poring over and figuring out what they see or think they see." -- "School Library Journal", Dec. 2002.
The Art of Optical Illusions. London: Carlton Books, 2000. In 2001 this book won the prestigious first prize from the American Library Association as the "Top 10 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers".
More Optical Illusions. London: Carlton Books, 2001. The sequel volume won YALA's first prize in 2002 as the "Best Book for Reluctant Young Readers".
The Great Book of Optical Illusions. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2002. This book is a compilation volume of the first two volumes.
Incredible Visual Illusions: You Won't Believe Your Eyes. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2004. This is the most thorough scientific collection of illusions published so far, with once again a great deal of previously unpublished illusions and effects, containing sophisticated and up-to-date scientific explanations. Chapters include: Brightness and Contrast Illusions, Scintillating Illusions, Twisted Cord Illusions, Figure/Ground Illusions, Estimation Illusions, Color Illusions, Stereo Illusions, Relative Motion Illusions, Impossible Figures, Light and Shadow Illusions, Perspective Illusions, Perceptual Ambiguity, Context and Priming Illusions, Illusions of Expression, There's An Angle to This, Topsy-Turvy Illusions, Composite Images, Anamorphoses and Trompe l'oeil, Natural Illusions, Architectural Illusions.
Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali, and other Artists of Optical Illusion. New York: Sterling Publications, Fall, 2004. A collection profiling the work of over fifteen optical illusion artists (Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Salvador Dali, Sandro Del Prete, Jos De Mey, M.C. Escher, Robert Gonsalves, Matheau Haemakers, Ken Knowlton, Scott Kim, Guido Moretti, Vik Muniz, Istvan Orosz, John Pugh, Oscar Reutersvard, Roger Shepard, Dick Termes, Rex Whistler), profiling their work in depth. Most of the work in this volume has not been previously published. There is no comparable volume available. Introductory preface by Pulitzer-winning author Douglas Hofstadter. Check out the content rich on-line appendix of the book, which contains the interactive version of the book (movies of artwork and interviews with the artists).
Optical Teasers. University Games, May, 2004. An introductory illusion book for younger children for the University Games Armchair series of books. Contains 90 of the best black and white illusions.
Ambiguous Optical Illusions. New York: Sterling Publications, Spring, 2005. The most comprehensive collection (90 images) published so far of ambiguous illusions. Contains many previously unpublished illusions.
Impossible Optical Illusions. New York: Sterling Publications, Spring, 2005. The most comprehensive collection (90 images) published so far of impossible figures. Contains many previously unpublished illusions.
Geometric Optical Illusions. New York: Sterling Publications, Spring, 2005. The most comprehensive collection (90 images) published so far geometrical illusions. Contains many previously unpublished illusions.
Stereo Optical Illusions. New York: Sterling Publications, Spring, 2005. A comprehensive collection (90 images) of stereo illusions. Contains many previously unpublished illusions.
Topsy-Turvy Optical Illusions. New York: Sterling Publications, Spring, 2005. A comprehensive collection (90 images) of invertible and rotational illusions. Contains many previously unpublished illusions.
Action Optical Illusions. New York: Sterling Publications, Spring, 2005. The most comprehensive collection (90 images) published so far of action illusions. Most of the illusions in this volume have not been previously published.
Optical Illusions: The Science of Visual Perception. Toronto: Firefly Books, Fall, 2006.
Your Mind's Eye: A Comprehensive Scientific Examination of Visual and Sensory Illusions. Boston: The MIT Press, (in progress). This will have a dual platform (Mac and PC CD Rom) featuring hundreds of interactive illusions, and very rigorous scientific explanations. University level.
Composite Illusions. New York: Sterling Publishing. Fall 2006. Hidden Images. New York: Sterling Publishing. Fall 2006. Wacky Pictures. New York: Sterling Publishing. Spring 2007.
Columns
Starting in the early summer of 2004, National Geographic's KIDS magazine will feature a monthly column of mine on illusions.
Calendars
For the past five years I have also produced some best-selling illusion calendars. Here are the latest ones for 2004:
Days of Illusions 2004 Calendar: You Won't Believe Your Eyes!. New York: Workman Publishing; Page per day edition This calendar has 315 illusions, many of them previously unpublished. There are some fantastic new effects in here!
Optical Playground 2004 Calendar. New York: Workman Publishing; Wall edition 
Optical Illusions 2004 Calendar. Toronto: Firefly Books
Interactive Science Galleries
I have designed and built several interactive science galleries around the world, where visitors can manipulate various illusions, thereby revealing the hidden constraints of the visual/perceptual system in a dramatic way.
Singapore Science Centre
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You can find some of my galleries and illusions that I have supplied at the following locations:
International:
Hong Kong Centre, Hong Kong London Museum of Science, United Kingdom Singapore Science Centre, Singapore Puzzle Place, United Kingdom Calgary Science Centre, Calgary, Canada Saskatchewan Science Centre, Regina, Canada Xperimet Huset, Sweden Technorama, Switzerland Technolopolis, Belgium Heureka, The Finnish Science Center, Finland National Science Centre, Malaysia Techniquest, United Kingom Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan Shizuoka Museum of Art and Science, Shizuoka, Japan Domestic:
Museum of Science, Boston, MA National Science Center, Augusta, GA Science Place, Dallas, TX Southwestern Museum, Houston, TX Science Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoak, VA Wonderworks, Orlando, FL Lexington Children's Center, Lexington, VA Liberty Science Center, Liberty State Park, NJ Shanandoah Valley Discovery Center, Winchester, VA Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA Reuben Fleet Space Science Center, San Diego, CA South Florida Museum of Science, West Palm Beach, FL Explore and More, East Aurora, New York Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland, OH COSI, Columbus, OH Whitaker Center for Science and Arts, Harrisburg, PA Montana Tech Mind Expansion, Butte, MO ScienceWorks, Ashland, OR Putt Putt Fun House, Webster, TX Legoland Amusement Park, San Diego
IllusionWorks Web Site
A number of years ago, I put up a massive and revolutionary interactive web site on illusions and perception,
which I have been forced to temporarily take down. First of all, it turned out to be so popular that it was costing
me thousands of dollars for excess bandwidth usage. Secondly, I felt the site was in need of a tremendous overhaul,
which I am currently in the process of doing. Thirdly, there were large numbers of people downloading both
ideas and images, and reposting them all over the web without acknowledgement or credit. I hope to have the revamped site back up soon.
In the meantime, we encourage you to visit another great site
devoted to optical illusions
at http://www.eyetricks.com .
Contact Information
E-mail is the best way to reach me: seckel@illusionworks.com
If you are interested in licensing optical illusions, please visit the most comprehensive collection of optical illusions on the Internet at IllusionLicensing.com.
All contents © 2003-2006 IllusionWorks LLC. All rights reserved.