Amazing photos: Street artist's 3D images create holes in pavement

A person poses at the edge of Edgar Müller's 3D ice crevasse. Photo / www.metanamorph.com

Edgar Müller has been presenting challenges to pedestrians since deciding to become a full-time street painter 15 years ago.

His awe-inspiring 3D art transforms everyday footpaths into raging torrents of water or ice crevasses so realistic passers-by skirt the edges for fear of falling into the earth.

Since 1998, German-born Müller has held the title of 'maestro madonnari' (master street painter) - an honour given to only a few artists worldwide.

The title is awarded at the world's largest street painting festival, Italy's Grazie Festival.

Müller, 40, uses acrylic wall paint to create his optical illusions.

He told Britain's Daily Mail he spent five days, working 12 hours a day, to create the ice crevasse.

"I wanted to play with positives and negatives to encourage people to think twice about everything they see," he told the newspaper.

"It was a very scary scene, but when people saw it they had great fun playing on it and pretending to fall into the earth.

"I like to think that later, when they returned home, they might reflect more on what a frightening scenario it was and say, 'Wow, that was actually pretty scary'."

The picture appeared on the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, as part of the town's Festival of World Cultures last year.

* For more information on Müller's 3D art, see 3d Street Art.

- NZ HERALD STAFF