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Lithuanian Artist Makes Trolleybuses Disappear Using Optical Illusion Art

Though not as common in North American cities, many European metropolises have extensive trolleybus systems. As part of the Vilnius Street Art Festival in Lithuania, artist Liudas Parulskis executed an ingenious project that made the city's trolleybuses disappear. In collaboration with creative place-making agency Studio Vieta, Parulskis took blown up photographs of city streets and architecture and wrapped entire trolleys, creating an illusion of the urban landscape on the moving vehicles.

Once a day these trolleys magically disappear as they hit the proper spot in the city—crossing Tumo Vaizganto street and Gediminas Prospect intersection—blending in with the city streets. While most urban transit systems are wrapped with advertising, Vilnius' trolleys are largely advertising free, causing a big shock for local commuters as they waited for their normally image-free trolley to arrive. Parulskis cleverly inserted elements with significance in Lithuanian culture. A wolf crossing the street harkens back to the medieval legend of the iron wolf said to have founded Vilnius. In an ironic case of life imitating art, four kittens were eventually born inside the trolleybus wrapped with an image of four cats crossing the road.

Work in progress. Trams were raised up to allow the image to be wrapped on all sides.

Liudas Parulskis: Instagram
Vilnius Street Art Festival: Website | Facebook | Instagram

All images via Studio Vieta.

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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