Motion Parallax and Steven Holl

Motion parallax is the change of angular position of two observations of a single object relative to each other as seen by an observer, caused by the motion of the observer. Simply put, it is the apparent shift of an object against the background that is caused by a change in the observer's position.

Parallax is often thought of as the 'apparent motion' of an object against a distant background because of a perspective shift, as seen in Figure 1. When viewed from Viewpoint A, the object appears to be closer to the blue square. When the viewpoint is changed to Viewpoint B, the object appears to have moved in front of the red square.



Steven Holl transforms the effect of motion parallax in his design for the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art. As sequential experiences of space in parallax can only be played out in personal perception, Holl expands spatial perception opportunities beyond the horizontal dimension to include the vertical and the oblique. Spatial definition is therefore ordered by angles of perception. Vertical and oblique slippages are key to the effect.