Science: Preserved Fish Become Colorful Art Pieces

This is creepy cool. If you like your art mixed with a splash of science and imagination, you are going to love this. I’m surprised I haven’t seen this art before today because it’s fabulous. We’ve written about biology as it relates to art before. The combination of science and art is always fascinating.

These dissected frogs were fun, this skull created from human brains was definitely creative, and this micro insect photography was insane. However, I don’t think we’ve ever written about an artistic science project quite this complex before.

These images below are not photoshopped, and they can take up to one year to create. Lori Tomita, a former fisherman and Japanese artist, preserves and stains these animals in a series he calls New World Transparent Specimens. He removes the scales and then allows the body to break down by soaking it in a digestive enzyme called trypsin. He stops the process when the inside of the animal becomes transparent and then stains the muscles with different colors of dye. Just like in a regular lab, the process involves formaldehyde, potassium hydroxide and glycerin. Lori says, “I want to show people the hidden side of natural beauty that they might miss out on ordinarily.” His preserved fish are on sale in Tokyo at the Tokyu Hands department store just in case you happen to be there and want to pick up one of these beauties to take home.

Via: [Trendland] [Wired] [Dvice] [Design Boom]