As you first enter the Boston Tea Party Museum, you come upon a wharf. Suddenly, right in front of you, two colonial women appear, seemingly out of nowhere, engaged in an emotionally charged conversation. They are real; or are they?

For a moment, the unreal seems real and then, as if by magic, you cease to be a 21st century observer. You are there, in the moment, on a wharf in colonial Boston, an eavesdropping neighbor thrust in the middle of an argument – passionate, intense. How is this possible?

Think of it as 3D without the glasses. Through illusion, the brain is tricked. The experience of being there, caught up in the moment, is achieved through an innovative holographic technology, the patented Musion Eyeliner Foil System, from London-based Musion Systems. Through the invisible technology of Musion, each visitor becomes part of the experience, and is left to think, to wonder, to feel.

Musion Systems is the global leader in the development, marketing, production and broadcasting of realistic, life-sized, interactive holographic video shows and effects. Musion’s technologies and imaging systems enable its customers to create spectacular, immersive, multimedia presentations and productions with holographic images so real that they are indistinguishable from the life performers or real objects appearing alongside of them.

The genesis of this technology is Pepper’s Ghost, an illusionary technique developed in the 1860s for use in magic shows and theaters. First developed by Henry Dirks, and later adapted successfully for theater use by John Henry Pepper, the Pepper’s Ghost illusion affects how we see things in a space that are not actually there. Through the use of plate glass and special lighting, Pepper’s Ghost illusion allows objects to appear and disappear, or morph into something different. Later, more sophisticated adaptations of this technique were used by Disney in its haunted house attractions in which multiple ghosts appear in very real settings, and interact with attraction visitors.

Musion Systems, a pioneer in the evolution of the Pepper’s Ghost illusion, has advanced the technology to create amazing life-sized holograms in which real objects or people are filmed in HD on specialized screens, and specialized systems are used to create the end effect of real-looking video holograms live on stage.

Musion Systems has used this technology in many applications all over the world – for product marketing, entertainment, special events, corporate product launching, training and in art exhibits.

A range of notables include the 2008 appearance of HRH Prince Charles as the keynote speaker at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi; the 2009 performance of Frank Sinatra at Simon Cowell’s birthday party in LA; David Beckham’s appearance a the Adidas Press Launch for the 2012 London Olympics; the performance of Black Eyed Peas at the 2010 NRJ Music Awards in Cannes; John McEnroe’s 2006 return to tennis at the Wimbleton Lawn Tennis Museum; multiple locations performance of Mariah Carey for the T-Mobile Christmas surprise in 2011, and more.

At the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Musion technology engages the visitor in a defining moment of American history through life-sized virtual holograms of two colonial women – a Loyalist and a Patriot. These women give expression and definition to the conflicting perspectives over the concept of independence felt by ordinary people in colonial America. As they grapple with what independence means to them, their lives, their families, and their futures, the visitor connects. The message is clear, powerful and personal.