A new permanent museum on the theme of illusion will open to the public on Friday in Tour et Taxis, Brussels.
All five senses will be put to the test in the “World of Mind” (WOM), which aims to demonstrate the limits of the brain and the ways it can deceive us.
The tour is designed to encourage maximum interaction with the public.
Losing one's bearings in a polar blizzard
Some 120 illusions will be presented in a series of rooms, alternating between thematic sequences and immersive experiences. For example, it will be possible to walk through a polar blizzard, whose omnipresent mist and white colour make you lose all your bearings.
Other illusions stimulate sight, touch and hearing, and provide a better understanding of how the brain works to constantly adapt to its environment, with a view to coherence.
The illusions presented at the WOM are designed to suit the whole family, and everyone has the opportunity to experience them according to their own sensitivity. Moreover, “as we know that this appeals a lot to young people, we have placed many ‘instagrammable’ elements along the way,” adds the exhibition’s scriptwriter.
Keeping things simple and fun
Through short videos projected alongside the illusions, Belgian neurologist Steven Laureys demystifies the interactions between the five senses and the brain by explaining them to his daughter.
The designers of the museum wanted “to keep things simple and fun. It was not the intention that a scientist in a white coat should flatly state the facts,” he explains.
The location in Tour et Taxis was not by chance either. The desire was to create a first permanent exhibition in this now rapidly developing area. “It is also an opportunity for visitors to discover other activities offered on the site during the same day,” the organisers note.
