The final set of bubbling biospheres and twinkling nebulas all created within the confines of a bell jar and a generous heap of household ingredients. These images look impressive in comparison to the grotty unglamorous nature of which they were produced, but curiosity and experimentation proved to be the winning ingredients. I shall be sharing some behind the scenes shots of what went into the making of these cosmic liquids in due course.
Another batch of miniature colour infused concoctions, all photographed from the confines of a simple bell jar. Sometimes I would attempt to capture the reaction of ingredients as soon as it occurred, although it was fairly violent and fizzed furiously it was at times difficult for my camera to keep up, but sporadically the results were entrancing. The little bubbles brimming to the surface occurs when the reaction slowed down a bit – I like those results a lot, and the fact that I was able to manipulate the colours to my will meant that it felt like I was embodying the scaly skin of some retile attempting to camouflage itself into its surroundings.
A sixth offering of photographs from a method combining household fluids and powders in a jar and showcasing the results through the lens of my camera. It is hard to choose a favourite from these photos as I have a substantial amount that yet have to be shared and many more that didn’t make the cut, but if I had to choose one I think it would be the topmost image – I have always adored the cooling colours of teal against scorching reds and how this particular image fades into the darkness.
Another set of miniature nebulas created with ingredients stashed away in my cupboards. This process of creating something out of nothing is what I felt special about the kick about – there is always something otherworldly to be found in the mundane.
A fourth collection of bubbles, froth, fizz and many colours for this weeks kick about prompt. What was so enjoyable about this process is no one image is the same and because of that I spent hours manefesting these miniature milkyways. Tilting a light, changing the lights colour, adding a splash of vinegar, or giving the mixture a swirl with a spoon created a whole new galaxy to discover
A second cluster of images from this weeks Kick About inspired by textile artist – Louise Baldwin. These images were created in a very lofi method of simply mixing a plethora of ingredients including vegetable oil, water, food colouring and an alka seltzer tablet in a bell jar and capturing the mesmerising reaction as it occurred and settled. In some photographs the sphere of the jar can be seen, like some sort of technicolour meteorite shower heading to an unknown land.
This weeks Kick About over on Red’s Kingdom is contemporary textile artist – Louise Baldwin. I felt a very instinct reaction to this weeks kick about and wanted to focus on two things – shapes and colour. I reconcile one of the most enjoyable kick about’s thus far being the prompt and singular word “Souvenir” where I set up a miniature installation in my bedroom entitled Giant in a Jar and took photographs of garishly lit jars to then superimpose my hairy mug into that jar. The innate feeling of fuck knows how this will turn out but transforming to elation when something clicks and having it work out is always such an enjoyable experience that I want to reproduce.
So I went to my cupboards and my roommates to see what I could get my grubby hands on including, vegetable oil, food colouring, vinegar, baking soda and alkaline seltzers. I then set the stage using that same jar from Souvenir to create a makeshift lava lamp and tried to capture the reaction when I added all the ingredients and after the final plop of the alka seltzer in all its bubbly, frothy, fizzy spectacle. The original plan was to photograph the side of the jar as the reaction occurred but it proved rather limp and blurry, but having a look through the top of the jar and repositioning the many lights brimming up the scene changed things drastically. These miniature galaxies full of depth began to form with and the feeling it gave was utterly intoxicating. In the early hours of the morning when most other people were sleeping I was taking hundreds of photos of this concoction in a jar so expect a lot more to come.
When reading about Sheila Legge’s inspiration behind her walking real life surrealist exhibition for this weeks Kick About and how she was so inspired by the paintings of Dalí, I decided to create some Dalí-esque dream-like landscapes while paying homage to Legge’s face full of flowers. The female models were downloaded and imported into Maya where on their heads I glued an abundance of multicoloured flowers- tiger Lilly’s, Dahlia’s, Delphinium’s, African Lilly’s and Daisy’s. Combined with a quick and dirty rig and skin of the figures as well as some mountains in the background to complete the scene and move the figures to my every whim. The rig on the figure on the left of the above image messed up and I loved how fluid and melty the resulting movements turned out – I tried to replicate this mistake with the other rigs but my efforts did not gratify, It was one of those moments where a mistake tuned out to be a blessing but could not be recreated.
This prompt also reminded me of one of my favourite films – Annihilation (2018). In particular when the team walk across a baron land called “The Shimmer” where their bodies start to turn into plant matter. It is a strange and beautiful film that left a lasting impression on me, much in the same respect that surrealist paintings do.
This weeks kick about over on Red’s Kingdom is the illuminating Lights by Marie Menken. I decided to share the last few bunch of long exposure painting with light experiments shot a while back, situated in one of the turrets of our house and framed with its long theatrical curtains. Sadly the owner of this room haphazardly ripped the curtains down and with it a lot of its impact so I am glad I made use of it before it became occupied.
Some further experiments of light painting photography taken from a while back. Situated in the middle arch of the high vaulted ceilings within our house, I like this spot a lot. I love how the arch frames the pool of light and how a sliver of light rims the skirting boards. I must admit while taking these photos it is easy to get spooked as the only light source was my makeshift bicycle light from which the light painting is born and while peering into the long pitch black corridors made it feel like at times I may not be alone, which only adds to the experience.
Gentle Giant 