Gallery: Pop Art: Gorgeous Blooms of Paint, Made With Exploding Balloons

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    For "Liquid Jewels," photographer Fabian Oefner captured split-second images of paint flying off exploding balloons. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    The results are tremendous. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    And they're things you'd never see with the naked eye. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    For one, that's because they pictures show tiny slivers of time--less than 1/20,000th of a second.
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    But also because Oefner had to photograph them in total darkness. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    "I love how photography enables me to capture moments in time that would normally be impossible to perceive," Oefner says. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    "It's amazing to look at the display of the camera after the shot has been taken and to see these otherworldly structures of paint that have just appeared in front of you." *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    Of course, at some point, you have to come back down to Earth and clean up the mess. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    Screen Shot: YouTube
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    Which in this case was considerable--the process involved plenty of trial and error. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    Much of [Oefner's work](http://fabianoefner.com/) revolves around abusing paint with natural forces. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    Magnets, pressure, gravity--all tools in his artistic arsenal. *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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    "My work could be described as visual science," he says. "I am trying to find out more about the world surrounding me by creating images, that are a gateway to an invisible dimension." *Photo: Fabian Oefner*
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