Is your
mind playing tricks on you? Only all the time. False motion. Tricks of
perspective. Shifting colors. Such perceptual
hiccups (and the beguiling illusions
they inspire) are more than just trippy. They
offer a window into the inner workings of
our brains and their evolution.
So
what’s going on in our brains when our eyes deceive us?
In this synapse-stretching talk,
coinciding with the release of their new book, Champions of Illusion, brain scientists Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen
Macknik explore the “cognitive
wonderland” of visual perception—where what we “see” is not always what it
seems.
Professors
at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Susana
Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik
study the brain using illusions and
magic. They are the authors
of Sleights of Mind and write the
“Illusion Chasers” column for Scientific
American: Mind. Their scientific research has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and
Wired, and on NPR and NOVA. They are
the founders of the Best Illusion of the Year Contest, which invites visual
scientists, artists, mathematicians, and magicians to create new, astonishing
illusions.
--Sample our cocktail of the night, the Sleight of Mind—conjured by the Bell House mixologists
--Groove to cunning
tunes and stick around for the
crafty Q&A
--Snag a
signed copy of Susan Martinez-Conde & Stephen Macknik’s magical new book, Champions
of Illusion: The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain
Puzzles
This eye-popping edition of the Secret Science Club meets Monday, November
20, 2017, 8pm @ the Bell House, 149
7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to
4th Ave; R to 9th St.
Doors
open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self!
