Installation: Thaumatroop

It is one of our most popular installations: suitable for all ages and you make something you can show at home. A thaumatrope (Ancient Greek: thauma = wonder, trope = turn) is a surface printed on two sides. By quickly rolling a stick or two strings between the fingers, the front and back of the thaumatrope are alternately revealed. If this happens fast enough, the two images appear to merge.

A fish jumping out of a bowl, a sun giving a wink… what will you make up? Concentrated, children (and parents) sit drawing, cutting and pasting. With simple but beautiful materials and a bit of patience, you’ll achieve beautiful results!

Especially in the nineteenth century, thaumatropes were popular toys. Thaumatrope can be seen as an early precursor to film. The eye melts together what is drawn on two sides of a paper.

Thaumatrope’s successors work with more graphics. Unlike thaumatrope, the images here are not fused into a whole but suggest movement. You can discover how that works at our other installations: the MiniCine and Stop-motion studio.

About the installation

Header Thaumascoop

Age
Suitable for children between 2 and 10 years old

Guidance
Children can get started on their own with a little help

Availability
For rent and for sale

Get more information on the installations

“They thought it was magical. As if they could do magic themselves… At home we made a lot more”
—Visitor Taartrovers Film Festival

More teaching packages, film programmes and installations

MiniCine

When cities fly