Take a seat at the table and you won’t be sitting alone. A whole row of you leans in from either side, same face, same jumper, same slightly confused expression.
Wave, and they all wave back. Lean in, and they lean with you. It’s a table set for one that somehow seats a dozen, and every guest is you.
What is the Clone Table?
The Clone Table is a mirror illusion in the heart of London that turns one person into a full dinner party of themselves.
You sit at a round table ringed by angled mirrors. Instead of a single reflection, the mirrors bounce your image from one to the next, so you appear again and again around the table, each copy sitting a little further away. The effect is a long line of clones curving off into the distance, all moving exactly when you do.
Sit with a friend, and it gets busier because now there are two of you multiplied into a whole crowd. It’s playful, a little uncanny, and one of the most fun photo spots at Twist.
The science behind it
When you put two mirrors at an angle and stand between them, each mirror reflects your image, then reflects the reflection from the other mirror, and so on. Each bounce creates another copy, so one person becomes many.
The angle determines the number. Narrow the angle between the mirrors and you get more reflections. Widen it, and you get fewer. There’s even a simple sum for it: divide 360 by the angle between the mirrors, and that tells you roughly how many copies you’ll see. The Clone Table uses angled mirrors set around the table to produce a whole run of you, fanning off to either side.
Each copy sits slightly further away and slightly dimmer than the last, because a little light is lost with every bounce. That fade is exactly what makes the line of clones feel as if it stretches into the distance.
What to expect
The Clone Table is a sit-down exhibit, so grab a seat and see how many of you turn up. Where you sit changes the effect, so shuffle around, lean in and out, and watch the row of clones shift with you.
It works solo, but it’s even better with someone else, since two people fill the table with an even bigger crowd. It’s part of your wider visit to Twist Museum, alongside 80+ interactive illusions, so there’s plenty more once you’ve met all your doubles.
Photo tips
The Clone Table is made for a straight-on shot, so this one is all about framing.
- Sit centrally and shoot straight ahead. Lining yourself up with the table sends the clones fanning out evenly on both sides, which is the shot that makes people look twice.
- Get a friend to shoot from behind you. Framing over your shoulder captures you plus the full line of doubles in one go. The shape of the room is designed so that other people or whatever is behind you should not interfere in your shot.
- Try a synchronised move. A wave or a cheers with an imaginary glass ripples down the whole table at once.
Tag @twist_museum when you post. A table full of you is exactly the kind of thing people stop scrolling for.
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