Beyond the whirlpools

I have been experimenting in the lab with whirlpool vortices to set up more complex flows.  Mini-whirlpools can often be seen in action next to the main spiral of flow, and by using different coloured inks, the different systems can be easily seen. 

At the end of the session, I usually use the remaining ink to create images, and have posted a couple below. These images are reminiscent of the ink on paper work - except the results are now being photographed, before the image gets washed away forever!

'Battle of the Magenta'

'A second spiral'

'Wheels of fire'

'Imaginary island'

New Gallery of whirlpools and galaxies

Check out my new gallery of vortices, just added to my Galleries collection (link above).  Hope you enjoy the different forms that swirl can take.

'Towards the gold'

'Zig and zag'

Patterns large and small

Below is a small collection, mostly movie stills, of recent lab work on whirlpool vortices - I'm intrigued by the similarities with galactic formations, and by the transformation of patterning as it disappears down the hole forever.  I've been on the look out for hexagons as always - managed to find quite a few!

'Embryonic vortex'

'Gathering material'

'Moving towards a hexagon'

'Swallowing the pattern'

'Anamorphic transform'

'Evolving waves'

Light, time, space and motion

I have been exploring light and glass this weekend, trying to achieve a feeling of motion and depth in the macro landscapes I create.  Here are a few examples:

'Mist around the city'

'Golden missiles'

'Copper mine'

Off the wall ...

I have just finished holding my exhibition 'Liquid, Light and Time' at Exeter University's Innovation Centre - it ended on Friday. This exhibition showed evolutionary sequences of paintings, and  I had some very good feedback from it, which was great!  Below is the brochure I produced to accompany the show - it provides short explanations of what each of the pictures is about. 

Brochure for 'Liquid, Light and Time'

Galactic observations

Observed at the Lab today

'Creation in a spin'

'Golden clouds'

'galactic whorl'

'Planetary nursery'

Always aware of hexagons..

.. especially when vortices are involved as on Saturn's North Pole, where a central vortex appears as a hexagonal feature.

Here's a hexagonal feature (5 of the 6 sides) created nearer home, which also appears in the collaborative movie, 'Knowing', posted just below.

'Baroque periodicity'

"Knowing" - a new collaborative video with Tullio DeSantis

This video features Tullio's music along with my fluid dynamics imagery.

In this movie I explore the major/minor key contrasts in Tullio's piece, and its mood of perpetual motion.  The major/minor aspect of the music made me think of juxtaposing structured and unstructured flow, and the feeling of perpetual motion seemed to match the whirling and wheeling of the vortices which feature throughout the movie.

I am fascinated by vortices; they make such strong, compelling images in themselves, and also have a rich symbolism attached.  This symbolism can appear self-contradictory - some mythology emphasising their destructive nature, other belief systems talking of them as the ultimate energy source - 'getting into the vortex' ... perhaps Knowing in the sense of true wisdom.

I hope I've captured a little of both aspects here, and that you enjoy the flow of the whirlpools and their patterns, set to Tullio's music.

In this movie I explore visual parallels to the major/minor key contrasts in Tullio's piece, and its mood of perpetual motion.  The major/minor aspect of the music made me think of juxtaposing structured and unstructured flow, and the feeling of perpetual motion seemed to match the whirling and wheeling of the vortices which feature throughout the movie.I am fascinated by vortices; they make such strong, compelling images in themselves, and also have a rich symbolism attached.  This symbolism can appear self-contradictory - some mythology emphasising their destructive nature, other belief systems talking of them as the ultimate energy source - 'getting into the vortex' ... perhaps Knowing in the sense of true wisdom.I hope I've captured a little of both aspects here, and that you enjoy the flow of the whirlpools and their patterns, set to Tullio's music.

"Being" - a new collaborative video

Tullio DeSantis and I have just completed a new video entitled "Being", combining Tullio's music with my fluid dynamics imagery.

 Tullio's music has a relaxed, meditative quality, which made me think of new ways of expressing links between the cosmos and life forms here on earth. I could see connections between new planets and cellular life forms coming into existence, and wanted to express the slow, inexorable quality of this birth process - a gradual unfolding of events.  The whirling galaxies that recur throughout the video are analogous to a kind of 'wheel of life', and we see similarities of pattern and form at all scales.  

I hope you enjoy this video. It was great fun to make - I enjoyed many hours of experimenting in the Fluids lab at Exeter Uni to obtain the footage for it.

Three insects ...

--- one made of light.

A galaxy not too far away

I've been looking out for new galaxies this week in the lab; luckily I came across some. Here are a few images I managed to capture, including some newborn stars.

'Many newborns'

'Red turbulence'

'Galactic rhythms'

'Red hole'

Wheels within wheels

I have been going over my recent footage of vortices, and it's wonderful to see the regular rhythms set up by the swirl and flow of these forms.  They have the regularity of clockwork, and even if the flow is disturbed by a new influx of ink, they will soon settle back into their rhythm again.  I'm working on the movies now; meanwhile here are three images; the first two being movie stills.

'Swirls within swirls'

'Baroque periodicity'

'Elaborations'

Going in deep

The illusion of depth in images is something I always aim for.  I like to think that the viewer can take a walk around my pictures in their mind's eye,  to be in a new place for a while.

Here are three images which will hopefully conjure up that illusion for you - two images of light and glass, and one from Exeter University Streatham campus.

'Possibilities within the clouds'

'Through coloured gateways'

'sapmap shimmer'

Ottery Floods!

Here are a few pictures of the aftermath of the deluge which made the national news.

'Toffee Shard'

'Excessive water'

'Floodshadow'

Complicated vortices

In the lab today, I was trying to get a few more of the whirlpool-vortices effect.  

Here are a few I captured: 

'Spiral diver'

'Retro red'

'Spiralography in green'

'Red delineation'

Flo-viz goes on the walls!

I was delighted recently to be able to supply the Centre for Business and Climate Solutions at Exeter University Streatham campus with some of my work for their new office.  

I'm a great believer in having a visually interesting work environment - pictures are good for the soul! - and have always been especiallly pleased when my images have gone onto office walls.  The walls at the Centre are painted a soft grey - the perfect background for my bright colours!

'Pastoral waters', 'On top of the bay' 'New sculpted leaf'

 'Saponiferae' behind the reception desk

'Little pebble' 

Swirls and whorls ... vortex time!

A few whirlpools from the lab today. I've made some movies too, and it's fascinating to watch the different speeds of flow, visualized by the different coloured inks.   It's also interesting to watch the slower-flow vortices form around the main one.  I'll post some footage when it's prepared.

'The source of pattern inspiration'

'Psychedelic spiral' 

'Green spin machine'

'Feathered complexity'

Pictures at an exhibition

A few pictures from my new exhibition at Exeter University Innovation Centre, 'Liquid, Light and Time' - you can read about it here at the University Website - if you can come along that would be great.

Many thanks to Dave for helping with the hanging - and also for spotting a Cheshire cat within one of the paintings!   I had not seen this cat before, but there he is ... the whole cat, not just the grin ... you may see it too if you visit!

'Liquid, Light and Time'

My new exhibition at Exeter University Innovation Centre

Here's some advance notice of my new show at the Innovation Centre, starting a week tomorrow (July 2nd). 

The theme of the exhibition is exploring ideas of evolution - biological evolution, and the evolution of pattern and form.  

I will be showing sequences of photographs which trace possible evolutionary pathways as expressed in different media - ink/water, ink/glycerol, smoke, and light/glass.  The different media reveal connections that illuminate the development of pattern, and time-based sequences join the dots between different stages of the evolutionary journey.

The image featured on the brochure below is a detail from 'Rhythm and counter-rhythm'. This image, created using the Ahlborn tank at the University, shows patterns of parallel flows of ink running at different speeds. The complete image can be seen below in my June 21st entry 'Complex flows', and shows how paths of similar direction may be followed with very different results. 

OK ......... on with the preparations - lots to do!!  

Storing the midsummer rays

Yesterday evening had some beautiful sunshine - still going strong at 8pm - and I was able to capture some of it in the following light and glass images. 

'Mobius sculpture 1'

'Hot rays'

'Within soft folds the edges lie'