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鈥淗OW can you not be fascinated by bubbles once you know what they can do?鈥� asks photographer Kym Cox. She has been working with bubbles since 2009 and finds they still give her something new to shoot. The image opposite is the result of a collaboration with Stefan Hutzler, a physicist at Trinity College, Dublin. It is one of three of her pictures shortlisted by the .
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The life cycles of several bubbles were photographed over 10 minutes, allowing Cox to capture the way light reflects and refracts as it passes through the bubble walls. The spectrum of colour changes over time because light rays are reflected from both the front and back of each bubble wall. As the liquid drains under gravity, they get thinner and these reflections change. 鈥淵ou see the same patterns in all bubbles. They鈥檙e consistent 鈥� that鈥檚 the beauty of their science,鈥� says Cox.
Research into the science of bubbles, soap films and foams has led to a range of products and applications, from cleaning up oil spills to understanding global weather systems.
As a self-described practitioner of sci-art, Cox designs and builds studio sets and lighting rigs, and creates the liquid formulations for the bubbles she photographs. 鈥淚鈥檓 constantly testing equipment and learning how to light the images,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 spend hours just watching. I鈥檝e got mixtures that can take months 鈥� even a year 鈥� to achieve the right consistency.鈥�
Seventy images from the competition will feature at an exhibition at the from 7 October until 5 January 2020.
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