Abstract nominees
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Title:Connected_W6I2044 "Connected" is a series of 22 images that portray the intertwined nature of life. Gravity is an invisible glue that binds all the objects in the space-time continuum that we inhabit. If we could see that invisible glue, it might look like this. Yet, gravity is not the only force that creates bonds between us. "Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?" In the world of networking websites, such as Facebook, 6 degrees of separation is no longer a theoretical principle. The man next to you in the subway is not a complete stranger. Similarly, every vertex in a network of bubbles is connected to every other intersection. Some times the path is very apparent, but often it is not. Yet, the connections remain. And like people, every node is unique. But put together, a larger entity appears. The subject matter depicted in these images is no coincidence: soap bubbles. The dual hydrophilic and hydrophobic nature of soap allows it to modify the surface behavior of the water in which it is dissolved, and thus create bubbles. But it also links substances that otherwise would not mix, like oil and water. In every day life we use this property to wash our hands clean. But life itself could not exist without the connections that these molecules make. The walls and membranes of plant and animal cells are covered in soap-like molecules that allow them to network with each other and interact with the world around them, and to create larger, multicellular organisms like the fruits and vegetables that form the backgrounds of every image in this series. Or like us.
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