Liquid Nitrogen Flowers By Jon Shireman
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If you watch Bravo’s chef competition show Top Chef, you know how clutch liquid nitrogen is in the kitchen; but apparently food isn’t the only thing getting the cold treatment.
In this science-meets-art series, photographer Jon Shireman soaked flowers in liquid nitrogen for 30 minutes and then shattered them at high speeds. The result is oddly beautiful fragmented flowers that seem more like small pieces of glass than once-living vegetation. The before-and-after pictures go against all intuition, as the in-tact flowers break apart in an unexpected way.
Shireman’s work consists primarily of unorthodox still life projects. Instead of the flower vase filled with a colorful bouquet, he brings movement by literally shattering the traditional “still life” with a forceful bang. He doesn’t just present something wonderful, but also something engaging. The result is a sensory experience — one can hear the flowers smash, feel them shatter, and see the beauty fragment, yet remain.
The photographer lives in New York City; and if you take a look at his blog, it seems that it is his favorite subject of all. “New York City is a major inspiration for me; I walk the city constantly,” he said in an interview with Nina Corvallo . “The people, architecture, trash, and traffic all have an effect on my creativity.” He also frequently shares lovely photographs on his Twitter, @jonshireman. For more information about Jon, visit his website.
