It’s not often that I take a stroll through Knightsbridge, but when I do, some of the prices in the shops make me question what exactly I’m seeing. Well, Harrods’ new neighbour, right across the street, specialises in doing that too: deceiving eyes and making visitors question reality. Paradox Museumwhich has seen success worldwide in the likes of Paris, Shanghai, and Miami, has come to London. Just a stone’s throw from Knightsbridge Station, this home of optical illusions promises to offer “a world where nothing makes sense yet everything feels real”. I went to check it out for myself; read on for my review of Paradox Museum.
The venue
I must start my review of the Paradox Museum by stating that while I love heading to the museums of South Kensington, it was refreshing to visit a brand-new museum that was in a different area. The museum is located above ground level, but is accessed from the street via a signposted entrance and a staircase.
The venue itself was pretty cool; ironically, it was a paradox in itself in that it was far larger than I had expected. The glass roof at its centre offered great views of the top of Harrods, and I could take a closer look from the balcony, and get some air too. The paradoxes were split across two ‘wings’ and there was plenty to see and do.
My review of the optical illusions
My visit to the Paradox Museum was genuinely the most fun I’ve had in a museum in ages! The museum is billed as suitable for all agesand I felt they’d found the perfect balance.
There are over 50 illusions in the museum. I don’t want to give everything away, but there were a few that really stood out for me. The Ames room had us in fits of giggles: at 4 foot 11, I looked like a Borrower in the smaller corner, but with a quick run across the room, I became taller than my 6 foot 3 colleague – and it felt great. Another one we couldn’t stop laughing at was the Kalidoscope illusion; with my manager’s face reflected back at me an infinite amount of times, I wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing…
One of the most popular optical illusions on my visit to Paradox Museum was the Zero Gravity illusion – so, of course, I had to give it a go for the purpose of this review. It was disorientating, to say the least, but a lot of fun. To see what the phone captured versus what I felt really blew my mind. Contrarily, the Paradox Tunnel looked like nothing on my phone, but walking through it, my eyes couldn’t catch up and I felt like I was constantly falling! I also walked into a wall in the Harry Potter-inspired room because of how my eyes were deceived, oops.
The entire space is laid out well, with smaller optical illusions displayed between the large ones. Throughout the exhibition, there are signs demonstrating how best to capture the illusion when taking a photo, as well as helpful staff on hand for anything else you may need. A really cool addition is the fact that many of the optical illusions have QR codes nearby that you can scan, so you can learn more about them – it was a great touch, especially for someone as inquisitive as me. You’ll be armed with the answers to any questions from little ones too.
To conclude this review, a visit to Paradox Museum will be one filled with fun and unlimited laughterwhatever your age, or the group you visit with. It’s so smart how these optical illusions are put together: the way they play with light, shadow, and angles delighted me no end. I’ll be making a repeat visit in a few months, for sure.
