Carp Pet Is a Carpet With Moving Painted Fish

Designer John Leung just came up with the idea for a carpet that, under the right circumstances, can become something akin to a dry aquarium.

We suppose it could just as easily qualify as a wet aquarium, if some water were to be spilled over it, but that is neither here nor there.

Basically, the designer took an optical illusion, a carpet and a table with a top made of slate-bars, and then made it so that they can have it seem as though the fish actually move, or swim to be more precise.

The optical illusion involved has been used in various consumer products for decades.

Some may remember buying bubblegum and getting one of those illustrated cards where the figures seemed to move depending on the way light fell on it.

The slates from the table trick the eyes into thinking the fish actually move, the same way movie frames build a seamless film.

Of course, the slates don't do it on their own. The strange pattern of the fish contributes to the illusion, as does the moire pattern that interferes with the yes.

Alas, the carpet is not ready for mass production, but at least is something that will become real instead of becoming just another addition to the long list of ideas that never got followed up on.

After all, the Carp Pet, as the rug and table are together called, are winners of the Red Dot Design Award and Leung is looking for partners already.

It should be noted that John Leung didn't invent the thing just because he thought it looked interesting, though this was a big part of it.

The man also made a point of stating how the carp, in mythology, is supposed to symbolize bravery and fortune.

Thus, the Carp Pet is a “humorous extraction of the carpet that reveals this intriguing little conversation piece of the floor.”