darcy oake study guide

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Darcy OakeSTUDY GUIDE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015 • 12:30pm

FAST FACTS ABOUT DARCY

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TEACHER RESOURCES: • Darcy Oake’s website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4QcyW-qTUg • Darcy Oake’s audition on Britain’s Got Talent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stUC4xVnyzs • Tim Hortons Creamy Chocolate Chill Commercial – Darcy Oake’s Levitation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stUC4xVnyzs • Darcy Oake’s Ford Galaxy Television Commercial http://darcyoake.com/check-darcys-ford-galaxy-television-commercial/

BIOGRAPHY:Darcy is a performance artist whose modern interpretation gratifies the hunger of audiences seeking spectacle and nail-biting feats of illusion. Inspired by classic sleights of hand techniques, Darcy transports the crowd to another dimension with exhilarating visuals and logic-defying exploits.

After being baffled by an accidental card trick his father – award-winning Canadian sportscaster Scott Oake – showed him at eight years old, Darcy delved into the craft. He soon became an international magic champion, at age sixteen beating out seasoned professionals at various events and winning the coveted People’s Choice Gold Medal in Seattle, Washington.

Darcy Oake has emerged in the world of illusion as a new generation of contemporary mysticism. He’s performed throughout Europe, from Paris to London, and across North America, from the heart of Time Square in New York City to the Las Vegas strip.

Darcy Oake is the son of CBC sportscaster Scott Oake, who lives in Winnipeg

Was discovered on Britain’s Got Talent with his impressive sleight of hand. The video of his performance has reached over 5 million views on YouTube (link below)

Darcy travelled to Britain from Canada just to be on Britain’s Got Talent

At 16, he beat seasoned professionals at various events, winning the popular People’s Choice Gold Medal in Seattle

Darcy’s favourite illusionist is Derren Brown

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PRE/POST SHOW ACTIVITIES:Designed to complement Darcy Oake’s performance, these activities focus on our eyes, brains and how optical illusions can trick our minds into believing we are seeing something that may or may not be real. Educators are encouraged to implement these activities in their classrooms prior to their visit to the Rose Theatre.

1. How Do You See? This activity is an introduction to the eye and how we see. Students will discover the basic parts of the eye and how vision is a complex sense.

Materials Required: • “Parts of the Eye” diagram and answer key

• White Paper

• Pencil Crayons

• Pencils

• Mirrors (optional)

Class Discussion: • Label the “Parts of the Eye” at the front of the class. Encourage students to guess each part and what each part does to help us see.

• Once the worksheet is labelled, describe to the class how the process of seeing works.

How We See (Answer Key): • Light bounces off objects all around you and enters your eye.

• Light then passes through the pupil and lens to the retina at the back of your eye which produces an upside down image.

• Photoreceptors in the retina changes the picture into a message that is sent to your brain.

• Your brain then makes sense of the message that is being sent and tells us what we are seeing.

• Guiding questions: “Can you always believe your eyes?”, “Do you think our brain plays a role in helping us see images?”

Activity Instructions: • Have each student draw their own eye (using the mirror) or a partner’s eye, colour and then label the diagram with the following parts: Eyelashes, Eyebrow, Pupil and Iris.

DID YOU KNOW?

Seventy Percent of the body’s sense receptors are found in the

eyes!

DARCY OAKETUESDAY • NOVEMBER 17 • 2015

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2. Exploring Optical Illusions Optical illusions can use colour, light and patterns to create images that can trick our eyes and our brains into believing we are seeing something that may or may not be real. These illusions occur because our brain is attempting to process what we are seeing but it is getting confused!

Activity Instructions: • Divide students into groups of 3.

• Print off the following sheets provided in this package (in colour) and distribute 3 per group: • Fading Image

• The Kanizsa Triangle

• Monster Illusion

• Scintillating Grid

• Hering Illusion

• Leaning Tower

• Rotating Squares

• Blue vs. Green

• Café Illusion

• After 5 minutes, rotate the groups so they can view the next set of illusions and so on.

• After each group has had a chance to view the optical illusions, take them up as a class.

Exploring Optical Illusions (Answer Key) • Fading Image: This is called the Troxler’s Effect or Troxler’s Fading. When you stare at one point, after 30 seconds or so, the image from the fixation point will fade or disappear. This works best if the image is blurred or the stimulus is away from the fixation point.

• The Kanizsa Triangle: This is an example of an illusion named after the Italian psychologist Gaetano Kanizsa. Although it looks as if the triangles and circles are complete shape they are not. Our brain perceives them to be complete.

• Monsters: Both images of the monster are the same size! Your brain assumes that the monster that is closer to the horizon is further away and larger.

• Scintillating Grid: The high contrast between the white and black lines tricks your brain into seeing a gray dot at each intersection.

• Hering Illusion: Because of the line pattern in the background, this skews our image of the two red parallel lines. Our brains believe that the red lines are curved when they in fact are straight! • Leaning Tower: Both images are identical. Our brains treat these two images as if they were a single scene. • Rotating Squares: Even though it looks as if the squares are moving, they are not. The contrast of colours tricks our brains into believing that the squares are rotating as you scan over the image. Try staring at one square and you will notice the motion will stop. • Blue vs. Green: The top right square and bottom left square backgrounds are the same colour! This one may be hard to believe but it is the truth. The surrounding colours (in this case, the orange lines) trick us into thinking that these squares are different colours. • Café Illusion: This illusion gets its name from a café in Bristol, England that had their walls tiled with this same pattern. Although at first glance it appears the lines are crooked, they are in fact parallel and straight!

3. Trick Your Eye! This activity combines art and optical illusions.

Materials Required: • White Paper

• Rulers – 1” wide OR create your own “ruler” out of cardstock

• Pencils

• Erasers

• Markers or crayons

• Shape Templates (attached)

Activity Instructions: • The paper should be turned so it is landscape style. Trace the width of the ruler across the page to create vertical lines from the top to the bottom of the page. • Once the entire page is covered in 1” vertical lines, select three geometric shapes from the shape templates. • Arrange the shapes on the paper and lightly trace them. • Select one marker or crayon and begin at one end of the paper by colouring in the first vertical row. Any part of a shape that falls inside this row should not be coloured and will remain white.


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• The second vertical row will stay white but any part of a shape that falls in this row will be coloured.

• The third vertical row will be like the first vertical row and so on.

• Select another colour of marker or crayon for the remaining white vertical rows and shapes. It is recommended that this new colour be in high contrast or complimentary colour of the first chosen colour.

4. Create Your Own T-Rex Illusion Before beginning this activity, check out this video about this illusion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4QcyW-qTUg Activity Instructions: • Print out the attached T-Rex template. As a class, construct the dragon with the instructions provided on the template. • Once complete, the illusion may not be apparent yet. There are two ways to see this illusion:

• Grab an iPhone or video recorder and film the T-Rex by moving the recorder side to side and up and down. You will see the T-Rex’s eyes and head following you!

• Squint your eyes while you move from side to side. It will appear as if the T-Rex’s head is moving!

How does this illusion work? Our brain believes that the nose and the eyes of the t-rex are pointing out towards us; however, the head is completely concave (or bowl-shaped). We are assuming how the T-rex should behave because we are given the wrong clues about its shape.

RESOURCES USED: Pegg, D. (2011, November 16). 25 Insane Optical Illusions That Will Leave You Dazed and Confused. List 25. Retrieved August 17, 2015 from http://list25.com/25-incredible-optical-illusions/ The Museum of Vision. (2000.) Eye Openers Exploring Optical Illusions. Retrieved July 30, 2015 from http://www.museumofvision.org/dynamic/files/uploaded_files_filename_3.pdf Brusspup. (2013, December 23). Amazing T-Rex Illusion! [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4QcyW-qTUg Brusspup. (2013, December 23). Amazing T-Rex Illusion! [T-Rex Template] Retrieved from http://i.imgur.com/vBDV8o5.jpg

PARTS OF THE EYE

PARTS OF THE EYEANSWER KEY

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Stare at the centre of this image for 30 seconds without moving your eyes and trying not to blink.

2. What happens to the image?

OPTICAL ILLUSION #1

FADING IMAGE

OPTICAL ILLUSION #2

THE KANIZATRIANGLE

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Write down what shapes you see!

OPTICAL ILLUSION #3

MONSTERS

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Which monster appears larger?2. Use a ruler and measure!

OPTICAL ILLUSION #4

SCINTILLATING GRID

INSTRUCTIONS1. Scan your eyes across this image.

2. Are the dots black or white?

OPTICAL ILLUSION #5

HERINGILLUSION

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Are the red lines straight or curved?2. Use a ruler to find out!

OPTICAL ILLUSION #6

LEANINGTOWERWhich tower seems to be leaning?

OPTICAL ILLUSION #7

ROTATINGSQUARES

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Scan your eyes back and forth over the squares. What’s happening?2. Try staring at one square. What changes?

OPTICAL ILLUSION #8

BLUE VS. GREENWhat colour are the backgrounds of the top right square and bottom left square?

OPTICAL ILLUSION #9

CAFE ILLUSIONINSTRUCTIONS:1. Are the lines straight or crooked?2. Try using a ruler!

OPTICAL ILLUSION #10

TRICK YOUR EYE GEOMETRIC SHAPES

THE AMAZING T-REXILLUSION TEMPLATE

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Carefully cut out the T-Rex.2. Fold according to the lines.3. Note the smaller tabs under the T-Rex’s face.4. Tape the tabs.5. Having trouble? Check out this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vMqiip5oP6Y

darcy oake study guide

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