Tunnelvision Mural

Tunnelvision is a 75-foot trompe l'oeil mural painted on the wall of a parking garage on Gervais Street in the Vista district. The painting depicts a realistic tunnel receding into the distance, complete with a vanishing point and painted pavement markings — convincing enough from the right angle to make drivers instinctively reach for their brakes.

The mural is the work of Warren Johnson (known as Blue Sky), who painted it in 1975 and has since become Columbia's most celebrated public artist. It is a quick stop — worth a photo and a moment's puzzlement — on any walk through the Vista district.

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A story
The mural was commissioned in 1975 as part of an urban arts initiative and painted by Blue Sky (Warren Johnson), a local artist who has spent decades creating trompe l'oeil murals around Columbia. The optical illusion is convincing enough that drivers occasionally brake in genuine alarm — the story of at least one crash attributed to the mural is part of local lore, though its accuracy is disputed.

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