Camera Obscura

We went to Camera Obscura and Word of Illusions on Saturday afternoon during our trip in Scotland. We stayed 2 hours there in Edinburgh, next to the Edinburgh Castle. The main attraction of the museum is the rooftop show at top of the tower of the museum : thanks to a system of mirrors, you can enjoy spectacular 360°rooftop panoramas in the dark. This unique experience has delighted and intrigued people for over 150 years.

There are 5 floors :

- Vortex Tunnel and Mirror Maze

- Light Fantastic

- Come and Play

- Magic Gallery

- Camera Obscura (rooftop)

Groundfloor :

The reception room and the shop are there : there are some diforming mirrors to enter the game !

The corridors/stairs :

On the walls of the stairs, there are many pictures, drawings or enigma : you don't know what to see or what to guess because of optical illusions

1st floor : Vortex Tunnel and Mirror Maze

The first attraction is a rotative Vortex tunnel : thanks to an oprical effect on the walls of the tunnel, you feel like if you were rotated on yourself. So impressive when you cross it, it will make you sick !

The other activity is a Mirror Maze, a very known attraction during funfairs : you have find the exit among a way of mirrors.

2nd floor : Light Fantastic

Full of holograms, 3D pictures appear, change or disappear when you turn around them for exemple a giant spider, a clown etc... There is a room where are exposed pictures of the old Edinburgh.

3rd floor : Come and Play

At this floor, there are many interactive activities for people. You can make appear you head on a plate of veggies and make dissapear the rest of your body, you can see if some parts of your body are hot or not thanks to a thermic camera, you can turn yourself into a monkey, a baby, or even change sex in a morph machine, you can divide your body in two parts, or see yourself shink and grow.

4th floor : Magic Gallery.

There are many diforming mirrors, you can capture your shadow on a special screen, meet the ghost of your hand, mix your face with someone else... There's also an electric room where you can touch a giant plasmaball.

The last floor is dedicaced to the rooftop experience : you can go out side on the roof and see all the city thanks to powerful free telescopes or you can take part in the Camera Obscura Show.

This museum has been very appreciated by the students because of the many interactive activities : we could take lots a funny pictures, it was a very good afternoon, and we had a lot of fun !

Chloé VIVES (TS5) et Maud RIMAZ (TL3)