Trick Eye Museum

On Sunday we went to the Trick Eye Museum, which despite the name is not really a museum. It's something very popular in Singapore, that I had never heard of in the US, a place to go take your picture in various illusionistic settings. The settings vary from the surreal to real-but-unlikely.

The place was packed, full of mostly adults all snapping away. Selfies and photography in general are a huge thing in Asia (an essential part of getting married is to pose in different settings in multiple outfits, all for the purpose of producing a wedding album full of you and your spouse's portraits) so Trick Eye's popularity isn't surprising, despite the hefty price tag (around US $20/person).

There are actually two places like Trick Eye in Singapore (the other is the Alive Museum). Both are Korean imports, which demonstrates both the pan-Asian obsession with photos and the influence of Korean culture (their media, particularly their soap operas and their pop music, are very popular). Trick Eye is filled with Western cultural references though (like Alice in Wonderland above, or Vincent Van Gogh below), so it's more of a weird post-globalization place. Perfect for Singapore!

I didn't really like Trick Eye that much, despite its undeniable kitsch value, as I am just not that into having my portrait taken in goofy poses. R liked it for about 30 minutes, but then she had exhausted all the poses and was ready to move on. I do think it would be perfect for a group of teens, combining the opportunity for self-focus, mockery and social interaction so typical of that age.

More photos:

No idea who these people are supposed to be, if anyone in particular

Pensive mermaid

Dancing with the ballerinas

Me and R posing together

R with her friends P and V goofing around