When Evelina Domnitch and Dmitry Gelfand set out to create Camera Lucida, their most recent project, they faced some resistance. Their goal was to capture a fleeting phenomenon called sonoluminescence, and it would require an unusual medium — large amounts of xenon-infused sulfuric acid. The prospect, unsurprisingly, made laboratory scientists nervous: Even in small amounts, sulfuric acid is nasty stuff because of the way it sucks the water out of anything it touches (human tissue, beware). Domnitch and Gelfand needed almost 3 gallons of the vitriol, which they were going to blast with ultrasonic waves. Oh, and the reaction they intended to photograph — the ultraviolet light emitted by the xenon bubbles collapsing as they're hit with those waves — generates temperatures as hot as the surface of the sun.

But the artists finally found a willing lab in Germany, where they turned out the lights and started shooting. The resulting supersharp photographs are psychedelic, for sure, but the installations — the pair has a show opening in April at Media Lab Enschede in the Netherlands — are weirder still. After five minutes in total darkness (to let everyone's eyes adjust), the audience is treated to a live demonstration of sonoluminescence, complete with the sound of the bubbles imploding. To avoid corrosive meltdowns, Domnitch and Gelfand leave the fearsome H 2 SO 4 at home, opting instead for 13 gallons of water spiked with sodium hydroxide and luminol. (They also decided against using a titanium horn transducer — an absurdly powerful ultrasonic transducer — because it would deafen unsuspecting patrons.) The experience is like "being in outer space," the creators say. Or on some other long, strange trip.

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