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A microscopic image of crystals in iridescent shades of blue, green and gold. The structures form sharp, angular shards and sweeping, textured lines that converge toward the centre.

Photography: Household objects become alien landscapes thanks to Marcel Christ

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Date
25 April 2014

We’re not sure why there is such an obsession with seeing everyday objects made alien and otherworldly in super close-up photography. It’s a recurring fascination for creatives too, and over the years we’ve come across various projects centred on weird and wonderful microscopic explorations.

And yet new ones rarely fail to capture our imagination, as proved anew by this personal project from Marcel Christ. He put everyday household objects under the microscope and the results are spectacular – like surreal landscapes from an ice-bound planet. Interestingly though Marcel is not particularly forthcoming about what exactly we’re looking at; an ambiguity that is rare in these kinds of projects which usually rely on dropping viewers’ jaws with a “X like you’ve never seen it before” type vibe. On balance though I think the uncertainty adds to the whole effect leaving us to focus on the pictures themselves.

A close-up of iridescent crystalline structures in shades of blue, silver and gold. The sharp, angular shards overlap and intersect against a pale, shimmering background.
Above

Marcel Christ: Micros

An abstract close-up of iridescent, crystalline structures in shades of teal, magenta and pale yellow. Four dark, angular shards are embedded within the textured, shimmering surface.
Above

Marcel Christ: Micros

A microscopic image of crystals in swirling shades of purple, blue and teal. The structures form sharp, feathered patterns that sweep across the frame.
Above

Marcel Christ: Micros

A microscopic image of crystalline structures in shades of deep blue, pale blue and gold. The forms create sharp, jagged edges and fine, linear textures across the frame.
Above

Marcel Christ: Micros

An abstract close-up of crystalline structures in iridescent shades of blue, gold and silver. The sharp, angular forms create a fractured, mirrored effect across the frame.
Above

Marcel Christ: Micros

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

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