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All the United States South Carolina Columbia Tunnelvision

Tunnelvision

This psychedelic tromp l'oeil seems to be beckoning drivers to crash into a wall.

Columbia, South Carolina

Added By
whitney8251
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Tunnelvision   Jason Eppink on Flickr
Fixing the lighting from neon to LED  
Driving off into the sunset 🌅   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
View from parking lot, early morning in the rain - Oct 2023   Cartographer / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnelvision taken on January 27, 2018   casemorton / Atlas Obscura User
  allisooonk / Atlas Obscura User
Blue Sky, the artist, standing by his work.  
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Inspired by a dream, one South Carolina artist created the otherworldly mural known as Tunnelvision to create the illusion of a road to another world.

Painted on a large blank wall abutting a downtown Columbia parking lot, the convincingly realistic art is the work of South Carolina artist Blue Sky, who also created the nearby Busted Plug Plaza and Neverbust Chain, equally oversize works of public art. At 50 X 75 feet large, the painting shows a craggy portal to a world under a different moon which, if it were real, would be large enough to drive a large car through. The painting creates an optical illusion of depth using the tromp l'oeil effect, and thanks to repeated additions and touch-ups by the artist over the years the veracity of the scene does not seem to fade but actually improve.

Despite constant close calls, there have been no reported accidents involving the convincing piece of fantasy. However with Blue Sky's continual upkeep and perfecting at the site, it seems like only a matter of time before some escapist driver finally succumbs to Tunnelvision and makes a break for it. 

Good news! This landmark is a two-for-one, because Tunnelvision is literally located in the same parking lot as Busted Plug.

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Murals Art

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Taylor and Marion Streets, just a few feet away from the Busted Plug.

Community Contributors

Added By

whitney8251

Edited By

robin1, EricGrundhauser, casemorton, breaingram...

  • robin1
  • EricGrundhauser
  • casemorton
  • breaingram
  • allisooonk
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • guenevere
  • Cartographer

Published

March 14, 2014

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  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/4602
Tunnelvision
1550 Marion Street
Columbia, South Carolina, 29201
United States
34.007202, -81.032523
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Nearby Places

Neverbust Chain

Columbia, South Carolina

miles away

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Photo of Columbia

Columbia

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Neverbust Chain

Columbia, South Carolina

miles away

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Columbia, South Carolina

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Columbia, South Carolina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Columbia

Columbia

South Carolina

Places 6

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