The video Bodyfraction parallels microscopic images of fragments of the artist’s body (tooth enamel, skin, nails, hair etc.) with recordings of drawings and light-sensitive objects created on their basis.
Drawings were digitally processed towards simulating the chemical process called ‘reaction diffusion’ which models (mathematically or visually) the behaviour of two chemicals in a solution as they mix.
Such animated drawings form a fractal-like patterns and together with modified recordings of reflective light-works surfaces they create an entry into imaginary hidden topography (macro, micro or nano dimensions) in motion.
Video
- duration : 7min40
- video: Uršula Berlot & Sunčana Kuljiš
- sound: Scanner – Robin Rimbaud
Categories
- body
- video
- collaboration
Bodyfraction
The title refers to the motif (body) and the processing method (microscopic diffraction) through which the microscopic pictures were treated. Relief surfaces of pictures and drawings were derived from digitally modified microscopic views of bodily fragments, which were essentially transfigured through the digital process of inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT); this represented the first in a series of digital procedures directed towards their denaturalisation.
In collaboration with prof. dr. Sašo Šturm and dr. Matejka Podlogar, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana – Department for Nanostructured Materials)
Process :
For some of these visual effects, I used a simulation of a chemical process called “reaction-diffusion”—a phenomenon that mathematically models how two substances behave and interact as they mix together. (Think of Diffusion as the mixing, and Reaction as the concentration… but built with Photoshop instead of raw formulas!)
In this example, a simple black-and-white drawing begins to dissolve, behaving exactly like black ink bleeding into a white liquid surface
{ White = Chemical A, Black = Chemical B }.
To translate this complex natural system into a Photoshop-native workflow, I used a custom automated feedback loop. Starting with the raw artwork, the diffusion is simulated by applying a sequence of microscopic Gaussian blurs to a single layer, causing the black lines to bleed into the white spaces. By subtracting this blurred layer from the original (essentially mapping the moving edges) and cranking up the levels to amplify the contrast, the reaction takes place.
Running this custom Photoshop Action recursively—hundreds of times over—generates the evolving frames needed to compile the final fluid animation.
Reaction / Diffusion
“ A black and white drawing starts to dissolve, as if it was black ink drawn on white liquid. (white = chemical A, black = chemical B) ”
