Thursday, August 16, 2007

Anamorphic cups

I thought these Anamorphic cups were pretty cool when I first saw it. "Anamorphic" refers to a distorted image that only appears normal when viewed with a special device. The most common of these devices is the anamorphic cylinder, which typically consists of a cylinder with a highly reflective surface, placed in the center of painting that is lying face-up. Such curiosities first appeared in the 1600s, and became popular throughout Europe in the 18th century. The Anamorphic Cup is the first product to employ the visual principles of the anamorphic cylinder. The stainless steel cup reflects the distorted words printed on the porcelain saucer. The image is indecipherable when the cup and saucer are separate.