The first zoetropes was invented in 180 AD, but this new one here gives it a new spin using the same old concept. The flatscreen monitor spins at such high speeds that you get tricked into thinking the two dimensional animations playing here are 360 degree figures.

Built by Lausanne University of Art and Design student Benjamin Muzzin, the project uses two monitors mounted back to back on a rod attached to a stabilizing frame. A motor spins the rod and the screen kicks into gear. The 2D shapes seem 3D at high speeds and it takes advantage of a phenomenon called "persistence of vision" in which our eyes fill in the gaps as the object moves at high speeds. Here's the explanation from Muzzin:
With this project I wanted to explore the notion of the third dimension, with the desire to try to get out of the usual frame of a flat screen. For this, my work mainly consisted in exploring and experimenting a different device for displaying images, trying to give animations volume in space. The resulting machine works with the rotation of two screens placed back to back, creating a three-dimensional animated sequence that can be seen at 360 degrees. Due to the persistence of vision, the shapes that appear on the screen turn into kinetic light sculptures.
[CreativeApplications]