Clever Art? Or Crap?

I have stumbled upon a few of these animated GIFs as I trawl through Tumblr. My initial thoughts were that they are a gimmick, a simple trick and a passing fad.

Although some, like this one, turn an otherwise flat image into an image that is located in time. In four dimensions rather than just two or three. And now I think it is quite clever.

Similarly, the movement in the image below clearly anchors the picture's content in three dimensions, not just two.

I may just have to try and give it a go...