xuartspace-curatorial:

Dr. Dain Tasker- Lily, 286x210mm, Photogravure. 1936- Printed 1937.

In the 1920s, light, and in particular the exploration of light through technological and scientific innovations, bridged the distance between artists and scientists. New inventions such as the X-Ray for medical uses in 1925 (previously x-ray machines were astronomically expensive and only available in few government facilities) led to new medium for artistic expression. 

In the early 1930’s, one such scientist, Dr. Dain L. Tasker (American, 1872-1964), pioneered the use of x-rays as art, creating beautiful images of flowers. Dr. Tasker’s X-rayography, or rayography as it became known, composes his images poetically by positioning the flowers or shells in ways that tell a story.