Spectacular forms that come together and dissipate far too quickly for human eyes to perceive are captured permanently using high-speed photography techniques. The elusive and temporary shapes created when liquid is thrown into the air or pellets are shot at strawberries become momentarily sculptural.
Floating Sculptures by Floto + Warner
Ephemeral sculptural forms that shift and change by the nanosecond are captured against stark landscapes in particular chaotic arrangements that will never be seen again. The final theatrical photographs in this series by Floto + Warner momentarily make elusive forms within colored liquid seem three-dimensional and static. Getting these dramatic images just right is no easy task; many attempts are made to toss the fluid into the air so that it looks just right against the hills and desert of northern Nevada.
Liquid Orchids: Paint Splash Flowers
Colorfully streaked, blossom-like forms come into being just for a split second when artist Fabian Oefner drops a sphere directly into a tank filed with layers of acrylic paint in various shades. The explosion that results from the impact of the object in the tank, which often happens too quickly for our eye sot properly take it in, is permanently preserved via high-speed photography.
Exploding Food by Alan Sailer
Avocados, popsicles, strawberries and chocolate bunnies are ripped apart in spectacular patterns and forms when photographed just at the instant of an impact from a pellet or marble. Photographer Alan Sailer uses a micro-second guided spark flash to get the images, and a PVC or copper cannon to launch the food-destroying objects.
Black Hole: A Visual Demonstration of Centripetal Force
Physics and art come together in another project by Swiss artist Fabian Oefner, appropriately titled ‘Black Hole’ for the visual effect that’s achieved. The images are created using a drill and a high-speed camera that can create flashes as brief as 1/400000 of a second; a sensor connected to the drill sends an impulse to the flashes to freeze the paint in motion.
