X-Ray by Nick Veasey

Posted on 06. Apr, 2009 in Atwork, Featured

In a world obsessed with superficial image it is refreshing contrast to look beyond the surface and appreciate the stuff that surrounds us for what it is made of, not just what it looks like on the outside. English artist Nick Veasey uses x-ray technology to peel back the layers and peer inside all manner of subjects; people, objects, natural forms and animals. The work has a ethereal, otherworldly quality, yet the things that he uses to create the pictures are familiar. Nick’s work has won awards in every relevant photographic competition and shown in galleries around the world. This elegant, yet unsettling artworks are a perfect example of the fusion between art and science.

For Nick Veasey, inspiration came from an unlikely source. While working as a photographer/designer for morning television in England he was assigned the monotonous task of x-raying soda to determine which one contained a winning code for a contest sponsored by Pepsi. After three days without a winner, he x-rayed his sneaker for kicks. Veasey recalls, “it was a great and I thought ‘there’s something to this’. It was one of those life changing experiences. I just left behind everything else I was doing.”

Veasey spent next three months working with scientists to refine his technique. He learned to gauge object density and structure by experimenting with a variety of materials including plastic, flowers, metals and people, taking the utmost care with his living subjects.

Armed with his new knowledge, Veasey easily transformed into commercial success. His intriguing visuals led to assignments for Nike, Porsche, IBM, Bloomberg and the European edition of Time. He has created such a stir with his advertising work that his bus-wrap image of a whole bus in an x-ray had to be removed from the roadways as a safety precaution.