A Japanese Photographer Combined 10,000 Shots To Create These Incredible Swirling Pictures Of Dancers

The images in Japanese photographer Shinichi Maruyama's "Nude" series take time-lapse technology to an entirely new, mind-bending level.

Though he's secretive about the technical details of his process, Maruyama told Wired that he combined 10,000 separate images of choreographed dancers to create the whirlwind effect. The photos took only a day to shoot, though the intricate movements were planned over a five-month period.

"I tried to express the beauty of both the human body's figure and its motion as well as the concept of time," he said to Wired.

Each mesmerizing photo is meant to be seen as an accumulation of events, inspired by Zen Buddhism's idea of impermanence.

"In everyday life, we feel that time is flowing but it is actually an endless repetition," he said. "One moment appears and disappears then another moment appears after and disappears… In Zen, we think that every moment is independent from one another."

The photos are on display at the Bruce Silverstein Gallery in New York City through January 11th.