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A white rectangular block with dark blue clusters on its surface stands upright in a petri dish. The block is half-submerged in bright blue liquid against a grey background.

Photography: Mitch Payne explores sterilisation through new in-camera series

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Date
9 July 2013

Photographer Mitch Payne is clearly fascinated by scientific process, as increasingly manifested in his personal work. A few months ago we featured a project he did with Kyle Bean and Gemma Fletcher which took a sideways look at renewable energy sources and now Mitch and Gemma have teamed up again on a new series with a scientific bent. This time – with the aid of designer Zena May Hendrick – they’ve created a set of still-lifes shot entirely in-camera which explore different types of sterilisation in an abstract way. Themed around radiation, heat, immersion and chemical sterilisation, it may not sound like the cheeriest topic for a photographic project but the images themselves are compelling and neatly unnerving.

A petri dish containing a dark green substance with a cloudy white streak through the centre. A pair of clear safety goggles rests in the bottom right corner against a dark grey background.
Above

Mitch Payne/Gemma Fletcher/Zena May Hendrick: Sterilisation (Steam)

A purple sphere sits inside a clear petri dish on a dark grey surface. A thin white line cuts across the dish, with purple powder scattered around the sphere.
Above

Mitch Payne/Gemma Fletcher/Zena May Hendrick: Sterilisation (Gamma)

A small, pointed sculpture containing red organic matter sits inside a clear petri dish. A metal spoon rests on the dark grey surface beside it.
Above

Mitch Payne/Gemma Fletcher/Zena May Hendrick: Sterilisation (Chemical)

A circular petri dish contains a pool of bright blue liquid. A small white rectangular block stands upright in the centre, partially submerged, with dark blue clusters resting on top.
Above

Mitch Payne/Gemma Fletcher/Zena May Hendrick: Sterilisation (Immersion)

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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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