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The infinity mirror (also sometimes called an infinite mirror) is a configuration of two or more parallel or angled , which are arranged to create a series of further and further reflections that appear to recede to infinity. The front mirror of an infinity mirror is often half-silvered (a so-called one way mirror), but this is not required to produce the effect. A similar appearance in artworks has been called the Droste effect. Infinity mirrors are sometimes used as room accents or in works of art.
Alternatively, this effect can also be seen when an observer stands between two parallel fully reflective mirrors, as in various Changing room, some , or a house of mirrors. A weaker version of this effect can be seen by standing between any two parallel reflective surfaces, such as the glass walls of a small entry lobby into some buildings. The partially-reflective glass produces this sensation, diluted by the visual noise of the views through the glass into the surrounding environment.
For example, in a two-centimeter-thick infinity mirror, with the light sources halfway between, light from the source initially travels one centimeter. The first reflection travels one centimeter to the rear mirror and then two centimeters to, and through the front mirror, a total of three centimeters. The second reflection travels two centimeters from front mirror to back mirror, and again two centimeters from the back mirror to, and through the front mirror, totaling four centimeters, plus the first reflection (three centimeters) making the second reflection seven centimeters away from the front mirror. Each successive reflection adds four more centimeters to the total (the third reflection appears 11 centimeters deep, fourth 15 centimeters, and so on).
Each additional reflection adds length to the path the light must travel before exiting the mirror and reaching the viewer. Reflection of the light also reduces the brightness of the image due to impurities in the glass. For example, most mirrors use glass with small amounts of iron oxide impurities, giving the reflection a slightly dim green tinge. Across multiple reflections, the brightness reduces further and further, and is tinted more and more green. However, mirrors used for infinity mirrors are ideally front silvered and these suffer from lower losses as the light does not travel through glass except when it finally escapes.
Visual artists, especially contemporary sculpture, have made use of infinity mirrors. Yayoi Kusama, Josiah McElheny, Ivan Navarro, Taylor Davis, Anthony James, Guillaume Lachapelle, and Hugh Hayden have all produced works that use the infinity mirror to expand the sensation of unlimited space in their artworks.
The contemporary classical composer Arvo Pärt wrote his 1978 composition Spiegel im Spiegel ("mirror in the mirror") as a musical reflection on the infinity mirror effect.
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