Take a Peak Inside This Kaleidoscopic Labyrinth of Mirrors

House of Mirrors from Goldeneye Media on Vimeo.

A twist on the 19th century fairground mirror maze, House of Mirrors is a labyrinthine walk-through art installation that’s just panic-inducing enough to make things exciting. A seemingly endless kaleidoscopic pathway of mirrors, the maze was designed by Melbourne artists Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney to confuse and amuse its audience. After debuting at Dark Mofo, it's now touring Australia.

Speaking to The Creators Project, Wagstaff says that he and Courtney have taken to calling themselves “art carnies”. As he explains, their inspirations for the project came from the old school amusement parks, pleasure gardens and fairgrounds of Europe—especially the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. "That smell and texture, those emotions of excitement and joy and fun and charm—and terror too,” he says.

What’s amazing and refreshing about the install is that, like an old school carnival ride, it doesn’t rely on anything but clever geometry. No gimmicks or special effects—the careful positioning of mirrors is mesmerising enough. “It's non digital—just pure optics,” Wagstaff says. “It's raw steel, mirror and timber. Those are the three key elements, there's nothing artificial about it.”

Wagstaff won’t say how many mirrors were used to construct the installation. “Suffice to say, there’s a lot,” he hints. “It's a bit of a mystery, like an old fairground amusement you don't really know what's inside.”

There’s something a little bit sadistic about trapping people in a maze, but Wagstaff and Courtney want to bring a sense of fun, too. “It's definitely elaborate, and the whole idea of a mirror maze or a house of mirrors is that we really want people to get lost,” Wagstaff says. “There's definitely a sense of apprehension because the maze has got a horrifying but intriguing exterior, but once you walk in there's an instant sense of joy.”

So how long does it take to find the exit? “Some people will find the exit by fluke in five minutes, some people will literally be stuck in there for an hour or more,” Wagstaff says. “People were concerned that someone might panic, but we've found that the worst case scenario is someone getting a little bit terse, and slightly frustrated, and then you show them the exit. No panic attacks yet.”

You can visit the House of Mirrors at the Brisbane Powerhouse until December 11. The project is also visiting Sydney and Melbourne.

Related: This Year's Dark Mofo Will Make You Feel Inconsequential in a Good Way Lee Bul's Mirror Labyrinth The New Mirror, Mirror on the Wall