These Incredible Drawings Are Etched Onto Single Grains Of Sand
Artists Vik Muniz and Marcelo Coelho have turned the concept of sandcastles upside-down.
Each of these photographs is of a microscopic castle etched onto a single particle of sand.
Vik Muniz, Marcelo Coelho / Courtesy of Sikkema, Jenkins & Co. Gallery
They are the work of artists Vik Muniz and Marcelo Coelho, who is also an MIT researcher.
Vik Muniz, Marcelo Coelho / Courtesy of Sikkema, Jenkins & Co. Gallery
Muniz would draw a castle and project it through a special prism.
Vik Muniz, Marcelo Coelho / Courtesy of Sikkema, Jenkins & Co. Gallery
Then Coelho would trace the drawing onto each particle using a Focused Ion Beam. Each line etched is only a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair.
Vik Muniz, Marcelo Coelho / Courtesy of Sikkema, Jenkins & Co. Gallery
The entire project took Muniz and Coelho four years. This video shows the mind-bogglingly intricate process in more detail.
If you're in Israel, you can check out these 'sandcastles' at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.