Flowers, feathers and leaves seem to take on a new dimensions as they flex and bend in slow motion, when viewed through this seemingly magical picture frame.

But the secret of the frame is that it relies on a simple optical illusion that takes advantage of the way our brains process information.

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Jeff Lieberman, the designer behind the Slow Dance frame, has been working on real-life slow motion since 2002 and has discovered a way to create the effect using flashing lights and rapid vibration.

The object placed inside the frame is exposed to strobe lights flashing 80 times per second, while it is quickly vibrated.

This prevents our brain from being able to follow the movements of the object and creates a slow-motion version of what our eyes are seeing.

The phenomenon, which is known as persistence of vision is a simple trick but a satisfying one. And it is the same optical illusion that makes it possible to watch films.

"Once you tell someone how it works, they can never un-know it," Lieberman says, in a video he created as part of a Kickstarter campaign to fun the Slow Dance project.

Lieberman, who first made a prototype of the Slow Dance for a friend's wedding present, has form when it comes to taking advantage of physics to bend perception. He used to host a Discovery network programme called Time Warp in which he used a high-speed camera to expose the physics of gunshots, ballet dancers and explosions.

Now at Plebian Design, his design studio, Lieberman and his team create giant installations that mess with a viewer's sense of perspective.