I visited Liverpool's Quirky Quarter and had my mind well and truly blown
Are you on the hunt for an experience that's off the wall, unconventional, even slightly peculiar? Quirky Quarter in Liverpool is a one-of-a-kind adventure designed to tickle your imagination and challenge your brain.
Located on Duke Street, right next to the Chinatown Arch, Quirky Quarter is a visitor attraction with lots of different challenges, illusions, photo opportunities, trivia and art.
Peter from the venue told our video journalist, Emily Bonner: “It all converges, all under one roof. It will take you about 45 minutes to an hour to get around if you engage with all the activities as you go around.”
The attraction also has a plethora of Instagram-worthy shots to capture, but this isn't just about looking around, it's about getting stuck in.
Peter continued: “It's for any age really. We wouldn't say very small kids, babies, toddlers, but families, couples.
“We do say it's best experience in groups, more than one person, because with the photo opportunities and the illusions to work, you need more than one subject. But if you are a solo traveller - I do lots of things on my own - we've got lots of lovely staff here and they'll be happy to sub in and join the photos with you.
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Emily couldn’t leave without trying the experience for herself - with a little help from some very friendly members of staff.
If you've ever wondered how these optical illusions work and you're a bit of a film geek, this might pique your interest. It works by using something called forced perspective, which is a filmmaking trick.
In its essence, it manipulates the spatial relationship between the camera, the subject and background without any digital elements.
The Lords of the Rings trilogy is a great example of this. It was used so cleverly, many people just assumed it was CGI when it wasn't. Instead of shrinking actors with digital editing, they placed the Hobbit actors farther away from the camera and others closer, but aligned them so it looked like they were side by side.
The sets were also often built at odd angles, so the illusion worked from the camera's perspective.
From the moment you step inside the Quirky Quarter, reality takes a backseat, wandering through upside-down worlds that defy gravity. The law of physics can even stumble across some mind-bending puzzles, optical illusions that might just have you wondering, how is that even possible?
Watch the full video above to see Emily getting stuck in and having her mind well and truly blown.