Draw a slender stick through suspended dye and water responds with spirals, folds, and alternating vortices. The ink simply makes those currents visible.
ABOUT THIS STUDYAn inclined, slender probe moves through a three-dimensional volume. Pressure and viscosity carry water and ink between depth layers. The ink is neutrally buoyant, so it remains suspended as the currents slow. Light is integrated through the volume to reveal overlapping veils and folds. The finite grid and fixed water surface make this a browser approximation of the physical experiment. Download PNGs with a transparent or white background.
Three colors starts on, so three pigments can mingle in the same water. Use Edit colors to change each pigment independently and to choose Detail in the embedded or full-screen view. A swatch chooses the pigment of new ink. Single-color mode changes the view; each pigment keeps its place in the flow.
Inspired by the water experiment at Dark Hollow Biodynamic ↗ and the work of Theodor Schwenk and Jennifer Greene.
Focus the water to use these shortcuts.