Color and Motion
To start out the new year, and a new semester, Photography 2 is experimenting with combining art and science to create beautiful photographs! For this first assignment, they are looking at the surface tension of water and what colorful results they will get when adding food coloring and ink to the water.
This assignment is based on suminagashi, an ancient Japanese art form that is a precursor to the marbling process. With suminagashi, when ink is gently laid on top of the water, surface tension enables the water to support the weight, allowing the ink to float. Paper is then laid on top of the inks which is then absorbed, creating colorful monoprint designs.
For our purposes, we wanted to see the movement of the ink through the water rather than just floating on top. To do this, the ink had to be dripped into the water, rather than gently laid, to forcefully break the surface tension and allow the ink to flow freely. However, we got a variety of results depending on the viscosity of the fluid – ink or food coloring on its own vs. being mixed with a carrier agent such as liquid soap, glycerin, mineral oil, alcohol, vinegar, or mica powder – sometimes the fluid sat on the top of the water, other times it flowed freely, and other times it quickly dropped like a rock.
As the fluid moved the water, in whatever form it took, students photographed the unique movement, colors, and shapes created before the fluids settled at the bottom.
The students are currently in the process of editing their images. They will each choose their favorite 12 images to lay out in a grid formation. We will then print and mat the works, which will be on display in the Lyet gallery as of next week. Please be sure to stop by and take a look!
Stephenie Koerne is a Graphic Designer, Photographer, and Educator but better known as Jill-of-all-Trades. When not juggling work tasks, Stephenie wiles away the hours working on her photography and other art projects, collecting toys (as showcased in her office!), and reading. She loves dogs, cats, and cupcakes and pink is her signature color.
