Cool X-Ray Images Show The Technology Inside Luxury Goods
We usually think of luxury items as just aesthetically beautiful creations, but craftsmanship often goes way below the surface.
Paris-based photographer Laurence Picot set out to peek inside some of the world's priciest items with his new exhibit LuxInside (via Wired).
To create the x-ray prints, Picot teamed up with radiologist Dr. Jean François Paul, software designer Sylvain Ordureau, and graphic designer Ricardo Escobar. With their combined range of skills, they created stunning photographs with updated scanning technology.
The photographs took years to make since the 3D imaging software had to be perfected. After de-noising the images, the team was able to differentiate between the different types of metals and materials that were used below the surface.
The LuxInside exhibition is produced by the Institut Français, and features a total of 14 art prints as well as the real objects that inspired them. Check out some of the photographs below.
The airtight gas tank of an S.T. Dupont lighter, which can retail for over $1,000.
The interior springs inside Pierre Corthay's bespoke Arca shoe, which can cost over $4,000.
This is the inside of a Dyson vacuum, but due to interference from metal and plastic during the scanning process, a red halo was formed.
This is the famous Louis XIII cognac, which can cost upwards of $300 a shot in Las Vegas.
Here's the inside of Gibson's Les Paul electric guitar. It looks simple, but can cost $700 to $1,000.
The Leica M8 digital camera, on the other hand, is extremely complex. It can cost almost $8,000.
The Cadolle corset features traditional boning for support, and costs at least $550.
And this Hermès saddle uses the same cushioning found in luxury memory foam beds, with prices starting at a staggering $8,000.
The exhibit is currently featured in Rio at the Sofitel Copacabana, and will be at the Grand Palais in Paris from September 11th to the 15th, followed by São Paulo, Brazil beginning October 1st at the Citroën Experience Centre.
You can discover more about the project and buy LuxInside prints here.