Exhibit: Through the Looking Glass

Sit opposite your partner and adjust the brightness of the lights. When you alter the lights, you can see images of people who don’t exist – combinations of you and your partner.  The plate of glass between you and your partner is coated with a very thin layer of metal so that it reflects about half of the light which falls on it.  Ordinary uncoated glass reflects only about 5% of the light.  The plate acts as a two-way mirror.  It doesn’t matter which way the light travels, half of it is reflected when it meets the thin metal layer.  There are four lights on the exhibit; two shine on you and two on your partner, so when you look at the two-way mirror, you can see a reflection of yourself and a straight through view of your partner.  If you adjust the height of the stools you are sitting on so that you and your partner are the same height, you can make your faces merge.