On the Artistic Use of Fluid Flow Patterns Made Visible

The authors present methods of making visible flow patterns in fluid flows that are used in research at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the application of photographs of them for artistic purposes. The flow patterns are made visible by releasing streams of electrolytically generated bubbles in water flows and of filaments of smoke in air flows. Simplified versions of the techniques for use by artists are briefly described. They hope their article will stimulate more artists to consider patterns in fluid flows as sources for the content of their works.