Move Your Mind at Questacon

15 July 2009

Can you trust your brain to be truthful about the world around you?

Questacon—The National Science and Technology Centre’s new exhibition Perception Deception was today opened by Professor Graham Durant, Questacon Director.

The hands-on Perception Deception exhibition lets visitors discover the world inside their head and explores how people may perceive the same thing in different ways. The exhibition investigates how the brain interprets and reports information received from the senses.

“Questacon’s Perception Deception exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages to discover how they may perceive the world around them differently to others,” said Professor Graham Durant, Questacon Director.

“One highlight of the exhibition is the Distorted Room. Visitors enter the room and watch themselves grow taller or shorter as they walk from one end of the room to the other. The sloping walls and floors of the room cause children to appear as if they tower over their parents.

“We are extremely proud of this exhibition and the supporting website which have been planned, constructed and built here at Questacon by our dedicated staff over the last two years,” continued Graham Durant

The 25 interactive exhibits and 17 multimedia activities in Perception Deception explore areas of multi-sensory, sight, sound and social perception. The multimedia activities allow visitors to compare their results with others to see if they perceive things differently.

The exhibition is supported with an interactive website at www.questacon.edu.au that includes mind bending perception tests and teacher resources.

In 2008–2009 Questacon recorded its highest number of visitors with 419,153 people visiting Questacon in Canberra and another busy year is expected in 2009–2010.

Perception Deception is at Questacon until January 2011.