TEDTalks: Artistry and Illusion Season 1 Episode 5 Nick Veasey: Exposing the Invisible

Nick Veasey has spent the last two decades putting his X-ray vision to use in creating some of the most captivating art that the world has ever seen Today, he shares his process of creating these awe-inspiring works. The talk starts with Veasey reminiscing on his early years, in a moment when he crafted a lens so powerful that he could see through an apple, right down to the core. The experience was wonder-inspiring for him and set him on a path to explore the inner workings of everything around him, which fueled the inception of his trademark aesthetic.

Veasey explained how he created art by capturing images invisible to the naked eye. He’d always been fascinated by what was happening beneath the surface of everyday things. He began with the simplest of subjects, an object that was cut in half, such as a TV remote and he used x-ray equipment to get a peek into them. More complex objects soon followed. He transferred the images onto photographic plates and, once developed, he put them all together in Photoshop. At the beginning of his career, there were no raw files to work with, just glass film plates, which he’d scan in after they were developed.

His work with the process was so successful that big companies started pushing for him to make images that told a story. Now, he works with objects like cars and people. One of his most iconic images is an X-ray of a Cessna light aircraft in flight; the flying machine suspended above an x-ray of the pilot looking down fixedly at the instrument panel in front of him.

The artist believes that people are more open to seeing things that are beautiful and understandable and that there's a capacity for people to lose interest if something is too obscure. When asked about the caution over his work, as regarding the risks to health, he countered by stating that the radiation dose of his x-rays are lower than standard medical scans. The objects he scans are also not damaged by it.

The nature of Veasey's work allowed him the exceptional privilege of being able to view his subjects from multiple angles. During his talk, Veasey shows how X-rays of a human hand can reveal the bones and muscles; while something like a mobile phone can provide a technological playground to demonstrate the ID chip and soft foil waves which he uses to emphasize the multidimensional nature of his work.

Veasey spoke about the idea that his work, while looking to many like just a two-dimensional image, is actually a very complex, multidimensional photograph. He reveals that he has been asked if his art is actually a type of X-ray holography, which he thoroughly denies.

Turning his eye to the world of advertising, Veasey mentioned that he does also work for corporations. However, he said that he only works on projects that he feels like he can be proud of. His work for advertising entities seems to be mainly focused on the use of X-ray imaging with the aim of telling a story. When asked about the value of the art, he touched on the subject of how modern consumers tend to live in a disposable culture. He feels that this art is from a time when you expected something to last.

The artist shared that he recently branched out into sculpture, creating a solid aluminium nuclear bomb blast door inscribed with a quote using the X-ray medium. It's an opaque, hulking object but, through the X-ray process, the inside is revealed to be inscribed with the famous words from Albert Einstein, "The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking....the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I would have become a watchmaker."

In conclusion, Veasey spoke about how he thinks deep down everyone has an inner child, and it’s that inner child that enjoys the experience of learning something new and seeing it in an innovative way. The artist's message to the world was that it is only possible to become successful when you are doing what you love, in your way. By the end of his talk, it is clear that Veasey is not simply an artist but a storied craftsman who uses his skills and fascination with objects to provide the world with a unique viewpoint that is entirely his own.