For most, a Tylenol pill looks like a bland pain reliever, but for one German photographer, it proves a panacea that holds a world of color and inspiration.
Peter Juzak, a Hanover-based photographer, has spent the last 30 years looking at substances found in common household items, such as Vitamin C and Citric Acid, in unconventional ways. In total, he’s documented more than 40 of them under a microscope.
Acetaminophen, the common pain medication used by millions of Americans annually, is the subject of Juzak’s microscopic latest photography project. “I’m intrigued by the endless variety of colors and shapes,” he told Wired. “To me, it’s like traveling through the infinity of space.”
Juzak prepares the pills by grinding up the acetaminophen, which is sold under brand names like Tylenol and Paracetamol. To make the substance crystallize, the pills are melted on a hot plate before they’re placed on a glass slide. Using a polarized microscope mounted with a Sony Alpha 7 camera, Juzak photographs the crystallizing pills. Each tablet yields hundreds of possible images full of color and abstract shapes that seem right out of the expressionist wing of a museum.
See additional examples of such below.
To see even more of Juzak’s Paracetamol project, watch the video above. For more info on Juzak’s other projects, click here.
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
