Exceptionally talented commercial and fine art photographer Andrei Duman has spent years working on his fantastic X-ray photo series. The series, Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-Rays, is now on display in a massive exhibit at the world-famous Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago. It is the culmination of years of dedicated work, and Duman spoke with PetaPixel about the honor and his project as a whole.
This Project Has Been Years in the Making
Duman has been working on his Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-Rays photography project for about six years now, which is a very long time for even a “long-term” photo project.
“It certainly has been a long time since we last spoke about the project, or at least it feels that way,” Duman tells PetaPixel. “Six years is a long time to spend on a project. This has been my longest running one but in some ways that does not surprise me.”
“Exoskeleton took me a year and 10 months, and Organogenesis: Building Blocks of Life was a year and six months to complete,” the photographer continues. “I think I am drawn to difficult projects and find value in their complexity, be it in the form of a technical challenge, waiting on a new piece of technology, or just by the pure nature of collaborating with another artist and working with their schedule.”
Duman adds that perhaps his willingness to embrace long, arduous projects is a subconscious way of resisting the fast-paced social media-driven projects he sees so much of in the industry today, projects that he worries sacrifice quality in pursuit of quick “likes” online.
He believes there has been an “erosion of quality and acceptance for poor work,” leading to photographers not dedicating the necessary time to fully explore a concept and deliver expertly crafted artwork.
The lengthy period working on Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-rays also means that “in some ways,” the project has progressed, while in others, it has stayed the same the entire time. Duman admits there are only “so many ways” that an object can be photographed with an X-ray (“usually just an overhead or a profile”). However, the project has changed a lot in terms of how Duman selects his subjects.
“Initially the objects I chose were quite random and did not really relate to each other as a series,” Duman explains. “[But] I started to focus more on items from particular brands to show the progression of the technology. Additionally, shooting so many objects, I got a much better sense of what would work and what would not.”
Duman says he became much more efficient in his workflow and better able to predict how the final X-ray photo would turn out based on its materials.
“I feel as excited about this project as the first time I started shooting it. I think it’s the unexpectedness of it all that keeps me engaged,” Duman says.
With a more sophisticated understanding of how different materials appeared in an X-ray, Duman could adjust X-ray power levels and exposure brackets with expert precision.
“I was able to get a range of images that show different depths within the objects,” he says while adding that the progression of post-production software has also helped him “tone down the inherent noise and lack of sharpness” in his final photos.
However, even with this experience, there remains a sense of mystery. While he has an understanding of how some objects will X-ray if they’re similar to prior subjects, there is always a sense of anticipation and wonder when the X-ray first appears.
“Because time is limited with the machine, you have that one chance to get it right, see the result, and make your decision if the capture is good enough to move on,” explains Duman. “So there is that added pressure; you have to rely on your experience to tell if we got the shot.”
The MSI Exhibit Is an Incredible Achievement
”The upcoming solo exhibition at Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago is a tremendous honor,” Duman says. “I am so incredibly excited for what we have been working on together for the last two years in secret.”
That’s right, the exhibit has been in the works for years.
With the official public opening this week on July 3, Duman tells PetaPixel he is experiencing myriad emotions, including “anxiety, excitement, fear, and pride.”
“This team that has been assigned to me for this exhibition has been nothing short of amazing and it has been a humbling experience to work in unison with some of the brightest minds and experts in the field,” he says.
MSI approached Duman after coming across his work and finding it different from so much of the content out there. Duman’s X-ray images reveal the inner workings of a diverse range of objects, from everyday household items like telephones and video game consoles to more exotic items, such as exquisite 1:8 scale Bugatti models. Duman worked on an exclusive series of fine-art X-ray photos of Bugatti models, and prints are on sale now.
Duman promises that the exhibit, much like his work, is different and unexciting. He says it is “unlike anything that has been done before in an exhibition.”
“The concept of how we will be presenting the work has gone through quite a few iterations as we all really felt that we needed to do something different to match the tone of the X-rays,” the photographer says, keeping a few secrets close to the vest.
While discussions initially centered on displaying prints of Duman’s Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-rays project, they quickly evolved into a five-room, 5,000-square-foot exhibit, one of the largest areas at MSI.
“What makes this particular space unique is the multiple high-resolution projectors per room that can display numerous individual images at just one giant image per wall,” Duman says. “This allows us a great deal of flexibility on how we introduce each series.”
Each room will have its own unique personality, and there will be a space dedicated to educating visitors about X-rays: what they are, how they’re used, etc. Visitors will also be able to compare X-rays of objects with the real thing.
He teases that there will be a very exciting interactive element to the exhibition as well.
“The exhibit itself is a great example of how art and science intersect. Andrei Duman’s images explore the beauty and complexity inside objects that we often take for granted, offering a new way of understanding how things work,” says Dr. Voula Saridakis, Griffin MSI head curator.
“Griffin MSI often showcases this blend of curiosity, innovation and creativity by highlighting the ‘A’ in STE(A)M (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics).”
Duman has long been fascinated by the intersection of science and art.
“I have always been drawn to scientific projects because they are usually very challenging,” he adds. “Be it using prototype gear on Exoskeleton, with a very steep learning curve, to being one of the few photographers allowed near-full access to the CERN Particle Collider in Switzerland.”
“I feel my work always has some scientific undertones,” Duman explains.
Speaking of the challenges he faces, he says it is often hard to appreciate them when viewing just the final photos.
“I think it is hard to convey with a single photograph how difficult it was to achieve that photograph. Unless that process is well-described and understood, people do not fully grasp why that image or project is so complex. Unless I mention that it takes over 22 hours of image processing to flatten an image after six hours of continuous shooting, followed by up to 86 hours of retouching, someone can look at an insect image from my Exoskeleton project and think it is just a good image. It’s the process breakdown that helps elevate the project,” the photographer explains.
Duman says his X-ray project began as another avenue for him to combine creativity and science, and he never expected it to take off as it did, ultimately leading him to MSI.
“I do recall that from the very first session I did, I got the bug for it,” Duman says. “I knew I was onto something different, and I loved it.”
However, at first, he kept the project under wraps while he continued to experiment and learn.
“That’s why it took me so long to get to a point where I was happy with it, where I felt the project had some cohesion, not only with the objects themselves but also in the quality consistency across the images.”
Duman says that much of the work he captures never sees the light of day for various reasons, but his X-ray project “felt different.”
“I knew it was something good because of how it made me feel,” Duman says. “I really got attached to this.”
He says that his passion for Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-rays got to the point that he began to see the entire world around him as potential subjects to X-ray.
“I was driven by that simple question: ‘What would it look like if I X-rayed [it]?’” Duman says. “This is a dangerous question as the answers are limitless… it’s a never-ending project as there will always be something to X-ray.”
“Ultimately, I became fascinated with this concept [of X-raying] the objects we use on a daily basis and almost take for granted,” Duman continues. “We do not really know what the inside of them looks like. We appreciate the external designs of them but I do not feel we pay enough attention to the incredible work that engineers and designers do to make them functional.”
Duman hopes that Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-rays will bring the interior design of projects that people worked so hard on to the forefront of viewers’ minds.
I’m trying to shine a metaphorical light on the inner workings of things,” he says.
Shining a Light on the Griffin MSI’s Collection
Another significant part of Duman’s new solo exhibit at Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is his new X-ray images of rare and incredible items from the museum’s own collection, which Duman characterizes as an “incredible and rare opportunity.”
“Early on in the discussions with MSI, I presented the idea that, given their vast and impressive private collection that not many people get to see, it would be so applicable for the exhibition to have X-rays taken of their artifacts,” Duman says. “When the museum agreed, I spent many hours with Dr. Voula Saridakis (Griffin MSI head curator) going through the miles of corridors that housed the most incredible items. It was quite a time-consuming exercise as we had to go at times, item by item, to check for their size, their cultural importance and how, given my previous experience with taking the X-rays, they would look (too much metal, not enough material inside, etc.)”
In total, Duman and Dr. Saridakis settled on more than 60 individual artifacts from the museum’s collection, including some hugely significant items, such as one of Thomas Edison’s very first light bulbs, an original Enigma machine from WWII, binoculars from U-Boat 505, and a fully-preserved X-ray tube from the late 19th century — bringing the project full circle in a way.
“Due to the fragility and importance of the items, we could not have them sent to my location to be X-rayed, so we had to find a facility in Chicago,” Duman says. “This presented quite a few challenges most notably the safe transportation of the artifacts to said location which needed an entire team that specialized in this.”
The X-ray process, given the sensitive nature of the objects, was intricate and precise.
“It was organized perfection,” the photographer says. “And it had to be, as many objects are one-of-a-kind and incredibly fragile.”
“What was so fascinating for me was the fact that even though we had these items, no one knew what they would actually look like, as it had never been done before,” Duman says.
For the photographer, his favorite item was the Enigma machine.
“As someone fascinated with the events of World War II, having an original Enigma machine to X-ray was an amazing experience. I recall that even though it was frantic to get the other items done, I left this one last as I really wanted to take my time with it. From the research I have done, only two others have ever taken an X-ray of a captured Enigma machine, and this is the first time that it was done for a fine art purpose.”
It was an enlightening experience for Dr. Saridakis, too.
“Andrei’s X-rays of Griffin MSI artifacts allowed the Museum team to not just pull out these intriguing objects and tell the stories behind them but also discover the hidden technologies and designs within them. In some cases, that view added important details to the artifacts’ stories,” Dr. Saridakis tells PetaPixel.
“One example of that is the Edison lightbulbs. Two of the several lightbulbs that were part of the Edison patent trial in the 1890s have been in the Museum’s collection for years. These bulbs were frosted to hide their inner workings, and it appeared from the outside that only one was broken during the trial to see what was inside, while the other was in perfect condition. By X-raying the bulbs, we discovered that the other had also been broken but taped back together around the same period as the trial, to make it appear intact. Now we have another history mystery to dig into and an additional angle to the famous light bulb patent story.”
Duman says he has long been especially interested in capturing X-ray images of culturally significant objects: “The first Apple laptop, Neil Armstrong’s glove that he took to the Moon, an Ottoman-era dagger, the first Motorola mobile phone, etc.”
“I have some things in the works that will hopefully lead to me doing these,” Duman teases.
Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-rays Photobook
Alongside the exhibit at MSI, Duman’s Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-rays will be enshrined in an accompanying book. The limited edition book is expected to ship in August and starts at $95 for a hardcover copy with 217 image plates inside. However, PetaPixel readers can save 20% on the book using the code “PetaPixelXray” at checkout.
“Many years ago, I was told by nearly everyone that I should only do one type of photography and stick to it. I detested that concept. It felt so stale and so uncreative that I utterly ignore them all,” Duman says. “I shot projects I wanted to do, and explored concepts that I felt were complex and interesting. I had the mentality that if clients liked what I was doing they would come to me for my creative approach to a project and the fanatical approach to execution and technique.”
“This [X-ray] project hopefully shows the variety of my work and my desire to keep pushing creative boundaries. I fail many more times than I succeed, but I am always learning, always making mistakes, and always trying to produce striking content,” the photographer continues.
See Andrei Duman’s Groundbreaking X-ray Photography in an All-New Way
Duman’s X-ray series, Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-rays, opens at Griffin Museum of Science and Industry on July 3. The incredible exhibit is included with general admission to the museum and is shaping up to be an unforgettable experience for visitors. Tickets to the museum are available online.
“Beyond the Surface: The Art of X-rays is a multi-sensory journey into the art and science of X-rays in which guest will experience four highly immersive and interactive rooms. The first room dives into the science and history of X-rays; the second room features more than 120 images of everyday objects previously photographed by Andrei; the third room highlights artifacts from Griffin MSI and discoveries about the technology and innovation within those objects; and the fourth room is the Bugatti room that includes a lot of interactive play. Beyond the Surface makes exciting use of our newest exhibit space, Griffin Studio, an immersive digital space that combines ultra-high-resolution projections with cinematic visualizations and interactivity to engage guests in a multi-sensory, communal experience around science with rotating exhibits. Griffin Studio opened in May 2024 with Notes to Neurons as its premiere exhibition,” says Dr. Saridakis.
Image credits: All photos provided by Andrei Duman and used with permission
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