Nick Veasey

Engines, circuitry, seams, bones and mechanical components become the image itself. There is a technical precision to Nick's work, but the technology is ultimately a means of exploring a much broader idea.

We live in a world fascinated by outward appearance — design, fashion, branding and presentation. Nick removes that surface altogether, inviting us to look again at objects we thought we understood.

A classic car becomes an extraordinary piece of engineering. A piece of clothing reveals its construction. Even the simplest everyday object can contain an unexpected complexity.

That tension between what something looks like and what it actually is sits at the heart of Nick Veasey's work.

Inside the X-Ray Chamber

Creating these images requires an environment unlike a conventional artist's studio.

Because X-rays involve radiation, safety dictates almost every stage of Nick's process. The majority of his work is created inside a purpose-built concrete chamber, designed to contain the radiation while giving him the freedom to experiment with different subjects, densities and exposures.

Inside, sheets of X-ray film are positioned around the subject before Nick adjusts the machine according to the material and density being photographed. The exposed film is then processed and scanned at high resolution, taking the image from an analogue X-ray negative into the digital world.

For smaller objects, that process can produce a remarkably detailed image. For something considerably larger — a motorcycle, car or aircraft — it becomes much more complicated.

Numerous individual X-rays may be required, each capturing a different section of the subject. Once developed and scanned, these separate images can be painstakingly assembled to create a single seamless composition.

The finished image may appear beautifully simple. The process behind it is anything but.

Seeing Things Differently

What makes Nick's work compelling isn't simply the technical achievement. X-ray gives him a visual language of his own.

By removing colour, branding and the familiar exterior of an object, our attention shifts towards form, structure and construction. Things designed to be admired from the outside suddenly become fascinating for entirely different reasons.

It's also why Nick can move so comfortably between subjects. His work has encompassed cars, motorcycles, aircraft, fashion, flowers, musical instruments, everyday objects and the human form. The subject changes; the question remains much the same:

What happens when we stop looking at the surface?