Flip your world upside down

Art has the ability to change the world. The Museum of Illusions (MOI) claims it will flip your world upside down. Fans of optical illusion or those looking for a new art museum in Denver are in luck. MOI is a museum full of optical illusions, holograms and interactive illusion rooms.

Denver has an abundance of museums, including the popular Meow Wolf. Meow Wolf is hundreds of artists and storytellers from all over the world using an immersive art exhibit that focuses on kaleidoscopic art. MOI differs by offering various themed rooms or stations that allow for interactive selfies. MOI opened its doors in September 2023 at the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver. With 73 other locations operating across 24 countries, MOI anticipates opening multiple franchises in major cities across the U.S.

The MOI concept was originally launched in 2015 by the company called Metamorfoza with its founders and current shareholders, Roko Živković and Tomislav Pamuković. The main goal was the concept of “edutainment”0, offering visitors a mix of education and entertainment, interactive and photogenic exhibits, and rooms of illusion.

According to MOI’s website, the museum is “designed to captivate your senses, challenge your perceptions, and ignite your imagination. With mind-bending exhibits and interactive installations, you’ll embark on a journey of wonder and discovery.”

Visitors of all ages can fully explore MOI in an hour or two. There is something for everyone with installations that let guests swap noses with friends, find their image in a kaleidoscope, or serve their own head on a platter.

The optical illusion rooms are mind-bending by puzzling your perceptions. Castle Pines Connection reader and The Village at Castle Pines resident Adriana Hawk took guests from the Bay area to MOI. They enjoyed the outing and she said, “ I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Everyone was quite amused with the unexpected confusion of our senses.”

After going through the Vortex Room, which gives an exhilarating experience of infinity, Adriana said, “I could not sort out the fact that my brain KNEW I was standing on a stationary bridge, yet I genuinely felt like I was physically spinning and could not convince my brain otherwise.” Other museum goers mentioned that the confusion in the Vortex Room was like being in an amusement park with digital simulations.

The Tilted Room provides an experience where nothing is as it seems. Grow and shrink the body all in one place. The Cloning Table lets you hang out with your clone playing poker. The Beuchet Chair allows patrons to miniaturize their friends and lets kids instantly outgrow their parents.

Subway Seats allow patrons to hang upside down and the popular Reversed Room lets patrons hang on for the thrill of heights. These rooms tend to be photography spotlights for selfies and group pictures. Staff members are on hand and trained to assist in capturing the shots for patrons.

MOI is open seven days a week, visit www.moidenver.com for additional information and museum events.

By ViVi Somphon