STUART ALLEN

Soap Bubbles

Pigment based digital prints

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This series exploits an optical phenomenon that occurs when visible light is distorted by the thin film membrane of a soap bubble. Soap bubbles deconstruct daylight, amplifying some wavelengths while canceling others out, creating an array of color that speaks to the complexity and mutability of what we see as “white” light.

Light waves, like ocean waves, have peaks and valleys. When two or more waves combine, the waves can meet each other crest-to-crest or they can meet crest-to-trough. When they meet crest-to-trough, for every "up" vibration in one wave there is a corresponding "down" vibration in the other wave. This combination of equal ups and downs results in the cancellation of their energies. This is referred to as destructive interference. When waves meet crest-to-crest their energies are amplified. This is called constructive interference.

These wave interactions are responsible for the pearly luster of an abalone shell, the beautiful colors in some bird feathers and insect wings, and for the color of soap bubbles. A bubble's colors are caused by a phenomenon known as thin-film Interference. When light bounces off soap film, there are reflections from both the front (outside) and back (inside) of the film. Interactions between these reflections, constructive and destructive interference, cause the colors we see. The specific colors are directly related to the film thickness. Thicker bubbles will display blues and greens, thinner bubbles, reds and yellows. Due to the influence of gravity, a soap bubble's walls are thinnest at the top and thickest at the bottom. This variation results in the tremendous array of color we see. - Stuart Allen, Artist Statement