HIGH SPEED EXTRUSION SEQUENCE #1
Sequence from underwater beeswax extrusion; shot at high-speed (2000 fps).
HIGH SPEED EXTRUSION SEQUENCE #2
Sequence from underwater beeswax extrusion; shot at high-speed (2000 fps).
HIGH SPEED EXTRUSION SEQUENCE #3
Sequence from underwater beeswax extrusion; shot at high-speed (2000 fps).
HIGH SPEED EXTRUSION #1 (DETAIL)
Detail from underwater beeswax extrusion; shot at high-speed (2000 fps).
HIGH SPEED EXTRUSION #2 (DETAIL)
Detail from underwater beeswax extrusion; shot at high-speed (2000 fps).
HIGH SPEED EXTRUSION #3 (DETAIL)
Detail from underwater beeswax extrusion; shot at high-speed (2000 fps)..
HIGH SPEED EXTRUSION #3 (DETAIL)
Detail from underwater beeswax extrusion; shot at high-speed (2000 fps).
HIGH SPEED EXTRUSION #1 (DETAIL)
Detail from underwater beeswax extrusion; shot at high-speed (2000 fps).
AFTERMATH
Exiting the water tank after finishing a 55 gallon underwater wax extrusion (green forms surrounding me).
PLUNGE.
Amanda descending into the water tank, just before being wrapped up in wax.
WAX EXTRUSION RIG
Frigid February night setup; 55 gallon wax melter/extruder rig set above 18’ diameter pool.
WINTER POOL
Prepping for nightime extrusion.
ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS (VIDEO STILL)
One final check before blast off.
UNTITLED #37 (VIDEO STILL)
Wax extrusion in-process; ambient temperature 15 degrees Fahrenheit, water temperature 85 degrees fahrenheit.
NOCTURNAL STILLNESS
Snowstorm happening during nightly underwater wax extrusion.
RESIDUUM
Microcrystalline wax explosion.
INVESTIGATING SUSPICIOUS ACTIVTY
Nassau County Police Department visiting my suburban backyard studio; responding to neighbor’s distress call.
TROUBLE
Nassau County Fire Marshal visiting my suburban backyard studio; responding to neighbor’s distress call.
EARLY EXPERIMENTATION
Video still from an early wax extrusion. Handmade glass tank; plywood and shower doors
SHITSTORM
Underwater wax extrusion in-process.
UNTITLED #32
Video still; early microcrystalline wax extrusion.
VIEW FROM ABOVE
Image taken from above water tank after shooting a 15 gallon wax extrusion.
VIEW FROM BENEATH
Video still; 3 gallon beeswax extrusion in-process.
WRAPPED
Video still; wrapping Amanda in an underwater beeswax extrusion.
UNTITLED #67
Finishing up another underwater beeswax extrusion.
UNTITLED #68
Finishing up another underwater beeswax extrusion.
UNTITLED #17
Video still; setting up for my nightly underwater wax extrusion.
REACHING FOR THE SURFACE
Video still; ascending from the bottom of the tank after completing my first 55 gallon underwater wax extrusion.
DIVERGENT FLOW
The hidden beauty within the forceful collision of molten wax and cold water is exposed through the use of high-speed photography. Shot in a microfluidic laboratory at 2000 frames per second, these clinical images offer an x-ray like perspective; revealing the intricacies within the wax morphologies as it buckles and bends, folding and solidifying in an instant. Shown as an animation at 24 frames per second, one second of shooting time translates into about a minute of video footage. Playing with perceptions of time and space, these photos simultaneously unveil and abstract what is beyond the visible in my wax extrusion process.
PROCESS
These raw images document my underwater wax extrusion practice. Offering intimate glimpses into my elaborate preparation and production processes, they help convey the intensity and grit this work demands. Whether working in a confined water tank or an open air winter swimming pool, the inherently volatile conditions continuously raise the stakes, demanding me to perform. Experiencing this extreme sense of urgency is critical in maintaining absolute commitment to completing the action at hand. Taking on corporeal risks that serve as self-tests, I repeatedly push beyond my perceived physical limits to discover what I am made of.