12 photos
Credit: Nick Veasey and the MB&F M.A.D.Gallery.
In the middle of the English countryside, at a spy station used during the Cold War, English photographer and filmmaker Nick Veasey sets up shop. It may not be the most inviting location, but for Veasey, it’s opportune: the spy station, walled with lignacite, concrete, lead and steel, is an appropriate enclosure for the powerful X-rays he uses to create his images.
In what he calls the “Radar Studio”, Veasey runs his high-powered X-ray generator through objects to create images. His subjects range from lightbulbs and human beings to motorcycles and jets. Unlike hospital x-ray equipment that emits rays lasting for a fraction of a second, Veasey’s equipment, which is twice as powerful, emits rays lasting up to 20 minutes. The work is complicated and challenging — especially considering that Veasey is working with a light medium that is invisible to the eye.
For larger objects like the VW Beetle and Boeing 777, Veasey disassembles the object, scans it piece by piece, then reassembles the image digitally. The process can take months, but the x-raying, scanning and digital editing leads to a stunning perspective, turning everyday objects, quite literally, inside out.
Nick Veasey’s photographs are currently on display and for sale (prices range from $3,491 for a 23 x 23-inch print to $68,950 for a 170 x 85-inch print) at the MB&F M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland.