Reaction Paintings

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REACTION PAINTINGS

I'm a huge fan of DIY science experiments, and this was the first time this seemed to be useful. I was hired by a film production company to create spectacular chemical experiments and use them as visual effects.

I was super excited about the project, because I was always fascinated by the SFX Douglas Trumbull made for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: Space Odyssey and for Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life. His work always inspired me and I was really curious how far I can get with the chemical experiments.

I needed a helping hand of a chemist because I wanted to control the colors and the speed of the processes. I wanted to create specific compositions.

Working at such a micro level was very interesting. No matter if the scale changes, well known shapes and forms appear. For example, if we have a look at metal displacement experiments, visually they recall the look of mosses and ferns. When scanning crystallisation with a microscope it is like looking at a landscape from high above.