Water Flows Uphill In ‘Wrong Garden’ Optical Illusion

This fountain, created by inventor James Dyson and inspired by MC Escher, has water flowing up a series of ramps. Or so it appears.

It’s actually a pretty ingenious optical illusion. Water is pumped out of the tops of each ramp, cascading water down both the ramp and over its edge. Bubbles rising inside each ramp give the illusion of water flowing uphill, and all together it makes it look like the water is defying gravity. Pretty amazing stuff, and it took a solid year to design and build.

You can go check it out at the Chelsea Garden Show in England if you’re in the area. [BBC via Oh Gizmo! via The Daily What]