FYFD

Tag: fluids as art

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    “Lucid”

    Artist Roman Hill made this official music video to go with Thomas Vanz’s “Lucid.” The imagery, formed from ink and other fluids, warps our sense of scale. Though the camera focuses on an extremely small area, to our eyes the results shift from nebulas to oceans and back again. There are likely a whole host of phenomena going on here, but without knowing more about Hill’s ingredients, I can only speculate that there are Marangoni flows driven by variations in surface tension and maybe some density instabilities going on between fluid layers. I’m also fairly confident that Hill has played with time reversal in the video editing. Regardless of the secrets in its making, the film is captivating and gorgeous. (Image and video credit: R. Hill)

  • “Spitting Out Water Babies”

    “Spitting Out Water Babies”

    When Tomasz Wilk settled to camp one evening on the banks of a Polish river, he didn’t expect to find fountains in the shallows. Though reminiscent of an archer fish’s shot, this stream comes from a freshwater mussel. In spring, the mature female thick-shelled river mussels head to the shallows, where they edge a bit of their shell out of the water and release this fountain of water and larvae. Once dispersed, the larvae will attach (harmlessly) to the gills of fish until they grow into a juvenile mussel. (Image credit: T Wilk; via Wildlife POTY)

  • Open Call for the Traveling Gallery of Fluid Motion

    Open Call for the Traveling Gallery of Fluid Motion

    This year’s Traveling Gallery of Fluid Motion will be hosted in Salt Lake City. There’s currently an open call to scientists and artists for submissions inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci. From the organizer:

    This particular exhibition aims to showcase the historical interplay between art and science, with Da Vinci serving as a guiding luminary whose multifaceted genius continues to inspire innovation and creativity.

    Artists and scientists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines are invited to submit their works, whether new creations or existing pieces, that delve into the fascinating themes of fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, and flight. The exhibition will take place at The Leonardo Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the Fall/Winter season of 2024.

    We welcome submissions in any medium, size, or stage of production, including, but not limited to video, photography, painting, 3D printed models, sculpture, installation, mixed media, and beyond. Although not a requirement, artists and scientists are encouraged to explore the intersections between art and science by drawing inspiration from Da Vinci’s legacy while infusing their unique perspectives and interpretations.

    Submission Deadline: April 1, 2024

    You can find out more on Instagram and apply for consideration here. (Image credit: L. Da Vinci; submitted by Azar P.)

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    “Perfect Sky”

    It’s all blue skies in Roman De Giuli’s short film, “Perfect Sky.” Created with paint, ink, and glitter on paper, it’s a relaxing piece of fluid art. Put on your headphones, take a deep breath, and plunge in. You’ll see lots of gorgeous Marangoni effects, some low Reynolds number mixing, and various instabilities. (Video and image credit: R. De Giuli)

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    “-37F Winter in Yellowstone”

    Yellowstone National Park is always fascinating and surreal, but especially so in winter when volcanically-heated geysers and springs meet frigid, snowy weather. This short film from Drew Simms shows the park and its wildlife in the depths of winter. The bison rely on thick, shaggy fur coats to trap heat and keep dry. Steam and mist mingle around springs and giant plumes rise from geysers. What a strange and beautiful landscape! (Video and image credit: D. Simms)

  • Variations on a Theme by Edgerton

    Variations on a Theme by Edgerton

    In the 1930s, Harold Edgerton used strobed lighting to capture moments too fast for the human eye, including his famous “Milk-Drop Coronet”. Recreating his set-up is far easier today, thanks to technologies like Arduino boards that make timing the drop-strobe-camera sequence simple. This poster is a collage of Edgerton-like images captured by students at Brown University. Even nearly a century after Edgerton, there are countless variations on this beautiful slice of physics: all from the splash of a simple drop striking a pool. (Image credit: R. Zenit et al.)

  • Mocha Diffusion

    Mocha Diffusion

    These firework-like patterns spread when dyes are added atop a viscous but miscible lower fluid layer. Here, researchers use lower layers like corn syrup and xanthan gum; then they spread dye mixtures including ammonia and vinegar atop those layers. Because the upper and lower layers of fluid are miscible and can diffuse into one another, they together form elaborate patterns. The mixing of the two layers creates gradients in surface tension that can drive the flow and create these mocha diffusion patterns. (Image credit: T. Watson and J. Burton)

  • Remembering Rivers Past

    Remembering Rivers Past

    Our landscapes have changed dramatically over the last 200 years of urban development, but traces of the land’s past still remain. Many streams and rivers that once ran on the surface persist in underground culverts. Bruce Willen’s “Ghost Rivers” installation highlights the path of one such waterway, Sumwalt Run, which flows across what is now the Remington and Charles Village neighborhoods of Baltimore. The project includes ten installations that describe the hidden water and its history as well as a wavy, blue line that marks its path. (Image credits: Public Mechanics and F. Hamilton, see alt text; installation: B. Willen; via Colossal)

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    Visualizing Changes

    This rather mesmerizing video by Michiel de Boer uses a video editing technique to highlight movement and changes in video clips. From falling rain to rising mist to passing footsteps, the relatively simple technique visualizes all kinds of motion. De Boer calls it “motion extraction,” but it’s essentially a way to play with autocorrelation, a mathematical technique often used in fluid dynamics. It’s especially prevalent in turbulence, where it helps researchers identify parts of the flow that are closely related to one another. (Video and image credit: M. de Boer; via Colossal)

  • “Mosquito Egg Raft”

    “Mosquito Egg Raft”

    A raft of mosquito eggs floats on water in this award-winning image by Barry Webb. Capillary effects stretch and distort the interface, creating a complicated meniscus where the eggs meet the water. (Image credit: B. Webb from CUPOTY; via Gizmodo)