NASA scientist paints with ice and light (Forwarded)
Andrew Yee
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md May 8, 2003
wste...@pop100.gsfc.nasa.gov
(Phone: 301/286-5017)
RELEASE: 03-56
NASA SCIENTIST PAINTS WITH ICE AND LIGHT
NASA invites you to explore the frozen vision, or "Frizion," of Dr.
Peter Wasilewski, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt, Md. His striking, often hauntingly beautiful
photographs of polarized light through ice crystals will be on display
at the Goddard Visitor Center beginning May 17. The free exhibit will be
open through July.
Although grounded in science, the endeavor is purely artistic. "I choose
photographs that evoke an image or theme, and I'm very interested in how
others react to those images. Like all abstract art, there can be
various interpretations," said Wasilewski.
Wasilewski uses "only ice, the laws of physics, and attitude" to create
his colorful images. "Many are purely fortuitous. The couple dozen on
display at the Goddard Visitor Center came from about a thousand photos,
which I guess is almost the same ratio for a professional photographer,"
adds Wasilewski with a grin.
Each piece begins as a vessel of water, which is then frozen,
manipulated, and viewed through polarized light. Light has wave-like
properties, one of which is vibration. Ordinary white light vibrates in
many directions, but a polarizing filter blocks all light except that
which is vibrating in a single direction. To make a "Frizion"
photograph, a polarizing filter is placed on a light table to polarize
the light passing through. A petri dish with a thin layer of water in
the process of freezing is placed over the filter. As the polarized
light passes through the forming ice crystals, it is subjected to
birefringence, where the refraction (bending) of light in two slightly
different directions forms two different rays of light. The color
palette in the images is created by rotating a second polarizing filter
placed over the ice to intercept the emerging light rays.
"A 'Frizion' photograph can be thought of as a painting of polarized
light on a canvas of ice," said Wasilewski.
Wasilewski traces his interest in ice photography to his friend, Dr.
Tony Gow, formerly of the U.S. Army's Cold Regions Research and
Engineering Laboratory, now retired. "Tony Gow spent 45 years studying
ice, and is a world-class expert. He was fascinated by how much he could
learn just from the shapes and colors in ice. His enthusiasm was
infectious, and I became fascinated as well," said Wasilewski.
The inspiration for "Frizion" photographs happened in 2001, when
Wasilewski and Gow created a winter camp for science teachers on Lake
Placid, N.Y., supported by Goddard's education program. "We were taking
core samples of the frozen lake surface and examining their crystal
structure. One end of the lake had a layer of organic debris on the
bottom that emitted methane gas bubbles as it decayed. The bubbles were
frozen in the ice, and when we examined this ice, we noticed that the
structure and color of the crystals were completely different from
ordinary ice. I realized that color and form could change depending on
the thickness and orientation of the ice. I started playing around,
making ice crystals in my refrigerator and photographing them, and
'Frizion' was born," said Wasilewski.
To see a sample of Frizion photography, refer to:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/0508ice_photo.html
For directions to the Goddard Visitor Center, refer to:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/vc/directions_t.html
For more about Goddard's exhibits, refer to:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/vc/exhibits_t.shtml