Aperture™ SkyCeiling

Overview

Gridless Illusion

For starters, Aperture’s internal structure forgoes the familiar support grid, usually positioned between SkyTiles (image panels), in favour of an unobstructed view of the entire circular or elliptical opening.

The absence of a grid creates ambiguity for the mind as to whether or not a surface (the SkyTile) actually exists, thereby supporting the perception of deep space.

The Interstice

Second, Aperture separates the perimeter frame from the non-reflective SkyTile surface, creating a vacant interstice. (The interstice is the empty space between the actual layers.) When the sky image (Open Sky Composition) is viewed from any off-centre perspective, it appears as a thin, crescent-shaped gap.

However, when viewed standing directly underneath, Aperture’s vacant interstice, subtly visible by virtue of our binocular vision, confounds the viewer’s ability to recognize and locate a precise distance to the non-reflective SkyTile surface, thereby stacking the contextual cues assimilated in favour of an alternate—and now more plausible—perception of the deep open sky.

In both cases, this spatial ambiguity leads the brain’s perceptual calculus to a credible illusion that, along with the image’s recessive blue hue, signals an expanse of sky, unbounded in all directions.

Hidden Reflective Wall

Third, the Aperture features a hidden mechanical boundary. The trim side wall has a reflective surface that prevents the eye from perceiving a distinct edge to the sky image.

Combined, these three attributes create a palpable perception of depth when standing directly beneath the Aperture, as well as a distinct lateral continuum of the sky when viewed from all other angles. The result—a visceral illusion of an open sky with no discernable boundary.

Available in Circular and Elliptical Openings

Aperture is our first gridless design featuring circular and elliptical skylights. Circles are available in three diameters and ellipses are available in two dimensions.