Tuesday, 10 February 2015

The wonderful world of M.C. Escher

When it comes to perspective, nobody disorientates better.

Exploring influence and curious exploitation will effortlessly entertain.

Although impossible construction House of Stairs predates and Convex and Concave was an obvious sequel, his magnum opus Relativity is the one that got around.


Labyrinth proved to be the late and great Jim Henson's final film but talk about going out on a high.

Remember, you have no power over me.



A quick scan around Sarah's bedroom reveals not only a poster of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats, but also a certain picture...
The Escher estate is given direct credit, in the er, credits.


It is referred to as the 'upside-down room' in the C64 game.


A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Alice finds her son Jacob inside Freddy's Dream Core.
Cover art for Plok's nine-track debut album Circumlotion was admirably unsubtle in its approach.


While one of several posters for 2012 surprise horror hit Cabin in the Woods was done for effect, Escher's imagination was literally brought to life in Secret of the Tomb.


For Robin Williams - the magic never ends.

How the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness is represented in Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits is certainly debatable.



Matt Groening used this couch gag for Homer the Great.


The Simpsons Movie and Duffmeister's epiphany inherited the same idea.


In truth, I'd suggest this smacks more of Labyrinth.

Futurama episode I Roommate has Bender falling about while Fry and co watch on.


Brian Goes Back to College and Stewie hangs crazy stairs in Quahog.


The title sequence of 1992 series The Addams Family (not to be confused with the 70s Hanna-Barbera adaptation), used this snippet to rather great effect.


1993 SNES platform hokum Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt was based on the 90s show.

Isn't that right Lurch?

UGHH!
Well, he is a man of few words.

Chili Peppers were Red Hot when music video Otherside was conceived.




Take a look at this 2014 Watchshop advert.


I'm not sure how shit works but those concerned deserve to have their clocks chopped off.

Pixels are proud to participate and up steps Devil May Cry 3 on PS2.



Haunting Ground, 2005 (PS2)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, 2007 (PS3)
Just imagine if slopes were stairs in Atari's 1984 classic Marble Madness.


The fourth chapter (Phantasma Concerto) in Namco's on-rails lightgun shmup Vampire Night contains a very short 'black and white' area where enemies defy science.


It's 'stairless' but...

Originally on X68000, Akumajou Dracula whipped up something incredulous.


Ballsy, right?

Christopher Nolan's dream-induced 2010 thriller Inception (which incidentally is 'nothing' like anime Paprika), displays paradoxical architecture.


Or the detail of 1960 print Ascending and Descending.


Back with Springfield and a Brush with Greatness.


As I'm keeping a close Eye on things, box art for The Shadow of Yserbius was particularly innovative.


(Shakes head).

Hungarian artist Istvan Orosz is a name that may not be immediately familiar, but just like Boris Vallejo's work is compared to fantasy supremo Frank Frazetta, I have such Time Sights to show you.


Wreck-It Ralph helped introduce Q*bert to the 'current' generation but for the last of us, gibberish was already legendary.


Identical cubes can be found on woodcut trilogy Metamorphosis.

Appreciate example number 1.


Whaddya know, look at the floor in Orosz's optical illusion Door and Mirror.


This is Robert Zemickis's underrated Jodie Foster sci-fi vehicle Contact.


As you couldn't give two hoots about landscape or spaceship, the sculpture thing that initiates space travel appears to bear some resemblance to Cube with Magic Ribbons.


Actually, her transport pod rings more of a ding dong.


For the grandstand finish, place these in your plagiaristic pipe and smoke 'em.

In now cult 1997 horror Event Horizon, creator Dr. Weir (Sam Neill) describes the ship's heart as the core, or gravity drive.  Director Paul Anderson is said to have based its design as homage to the puzzle box in Clive Barker's Hellraiser series.


Sorry, I see something else which takes more than the fucking piss.

Wait, it gets better.

The climax of Silent Hill 4: The Room has protagonist Henry Townshend facing deceased serial killer Walter Sullivan.

What purpose do interlocking rings surrounding spherical object serve?


NOTHING!

It is deliciously bizarre.

To complete an amazing adventure, witch compass used by Richard E. Grant's Redferne in 1989 horror fantasy Warlock is represented by a very similar object.


Coincidence?

Who knows?

No comments:

Post a Comment