What if you could see inside machines? ‘Art of X-rays' opens at the Griffin MSI
The exhibit takes up four rooms in the Kenneth C. Griffin Studio. Entering the studio, guests walk past an introduction of Duman and the show, then are introduced to the history of X-rays. Multiple posters give a more detailed description of Duman's process while creating the exhibit. Other rooms display Duman's photographs from his six-year project, as well as X-rays of artifacts from the museum.
Images show X-rays of common everyday items like toys, a coffee maker, alarm clocks and more.
Voula Saridakis, head curator of collections and archives at the museum, said Duman's work balances art and science.
'(He's a) photographer who's walking into science,' she said.
Historical artifacts include an Enigma coding machine from the museum's U-505 submarine.
Saridakis referenced the movie 'The Imitation Game' as a way to better understand the history of the device. She said the X-ray showed the complexities of the Enigma machine from the inside.
Creating that image in particular was challenging, Duman said.
Due to how much metal there was in the machine, he wasn't able to capture the X-ray in one shot. Instead, he took around 10 photos with different exposures. He then 'flattened' the images together in post-production and chose bits from each photo to make one composite picture.
Other historical artifacts from the museum were light bulbs from a Thomas Edison patent trial. A clear glass case contains two lightbulbs from Edison's patent infringement trial. Saridakis said Edison frosted the bulbs so no one could see what the filaments looked like inside. While in court, he was forced to break open one of the bulbs, leaving one of them cracked.
When Duman X-rayed the other bulb, he noticed that one was cracked as well, which was news to museum officials.
Another artifact is a camera box from the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair.
'You kind of marvel at that level of detail,' Saridakis said while looking at the X-ray.
A final room displays six scaled models of Bugatti automobiles. Duman teamed up with Amalgam, a scale model car company, to create 1:8 scale models of different vehicles. Bugatti was chosen 'because of the prestige of the brand, obviously the legacy that they have, and also just a variety of the models,' Duman said.
Whenever one of the cars is displayed on the floor, it's also displayed on the wall. Using tracking technology, when guests walk across the car projection on the floor, the X-ray display moves with them.
Molly Powers, 42, said she and her children enjoyed the museum during their visit from Dubuque, Iowa. Reed, 10, said his favorite part of the museum was the fourth room because of how the cars moved when he did.
'It was really cool getting to see all things inside and knowing what's inside,' said Reed.
Cate, 8, said she chased the cars when she saw the X-rays move.
Dan Powers, 43, said some parts of the exhibit gave him motion sickness.
Duman said he's worked on the project for years. 'The whole project was really driven by that concept of 'What happens if I X-rayed this?''
Duman said his interest in X-rays came from his infatuation with design.
'There's so much amazing stuff in there that they crammed into that space, I found it fascinating to expose that,' he said.
He said he photographed a lot of artifacts from the museum, but only chose the ones that looked the most interesting to show in the exhibit. His form of X-raying is different from more typical forms of X-raying, he said
'There were many times when I thought 'Oh, this is going to be really great,' and you put it on an X-ray and it's just not, there's nothing really that interesting,' he said. 'And vice versa too, there's something that I left at the very last minute I'm like 'Ugh, this is probably going to look like crap,' and actually it turned out to be actually really interesting stuff in there,' Duman said.
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Epoch Times
6 days ago
- Epoch Times
What If You Could See Inside Machines? ‘Art of X-rays' Opens at Chicago's Science Museum
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‘When We See Refugees, We Should See Opportunity'
It was heartbreak that almost ended Faduma Abukar. But an opportunity enabled her to turn it into a new beginning. For years, the Somali refugee had treated painting as a lonely release while living in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, a catharsis to express the pain and frustration of being stuck in a foreign land with few prospects and an uncertain future. Every time Faduma's mother went to the local Internet café to speak to their father, who was toiling as a migrant worker 5,000 miles away in northern Europe, she would beg the manager for scraps of used printing paper to bring home to Faduma and her six sisters. The family had no television at home and barely enough food—just two meals a day of rice and vegetables. 'Meat was a real luxury we had maybe once every three months,' Faduma, 26, tells TIME. As refugees without official documentation, school or official work was out of reach, rendering drawing and painting their only escape from a bleak existence inside those four walls. 'Because we did have money, we just had to stay at home,' Faduma recalls. 'You cannot go to school; you cannot really go outside.' A childhood friend who had earlier moved from Addis to Canada and had been suggested as a possible husband for Faduma offered a ray of hope. 'My mom loved him; my sisters loved him,' she says. 'He was really the perfect guy for me.' But there was a problem. As the suitor belonged to a rival Somali tribe, Faduma's father stubbornly refused to sanction the union. 'He was so angry,' recalls Faduma. Around the same time, a dear cousin of Faduma's died after falling into a deep depression sparked by her parents similarly rejecting a love match. 'I saw my cousin getting sicker and I thought I faced the same destiny,' recalls Faduma, eyes welling. Faduma's heartbreak and ongoing acrimony with her father led her to embrace art as a form of therapy, pouring her pain and rage onto the page. 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Faduma's story is a remarkable example of a lamentably common phenomenon amongst the global refugee community—that of hidden talent that simply requires an outlet to thrive. How to unlock that potential is an increasingly hot topic given recent sweeping aid cuts just as the global displaced population breaks new records, with 123.2 million people forcibly displaced at the end of 2024. That's one out of every 67 people on Earth—the vast majority of whom are desperate to contribute but forced to live on handouts or toil in society's shadows. In simple economic terms, it's a colossal waste of productivity. Still, how to handle refugees, asylum seekers, and economic migrants has become a charged issue in the West, contributing to resurgent right-wing politics across Europe and North America. Ethiopia, however, has taken a refreshingly progressive tact despite its significant economic and social challenges. The landlocked East African nation of 130 million is the continent's second biggest host of refugees, numbering 1.1 million from a total of 38 countries, though predominantly from Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea. Since March last year, Ethiopia has started giving refugees versions of the national digital 'Fayda' IDs, facilitating access to services like healthcare, education, and financial institutions. For Faduma, it meant she was able to open a bank account to sell her paintings openly for the first time. 'This is the thing that I'm most grateful for,' she says. 'It helped me a lot to have a bank account.' Legitimatizing refugees has had a transformative effect. In Ethiopia today, Eritrean refugees have opened cafes, Yemenis now make and sell handcrafts, and at least one refugee from Burundi is working as a photographer. They can help not only themselves but their communities also. 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Time Business News
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Before the cameras, the supercars, and the fame, Carl Runefelt's story began in the aisles of a Swedish supermarket. With no financial background and zero industry connections, he relied solely on one thing: his belief system. Fast forward to today, and Carl is not only making headlines in the crypto world but also stepping into the music space with a fresh creative spark. In one of his most talked-about videos, Carl introduces fans to his 2010 Bugatti Veyron — a machine that symbolizes more than just wealth. For him, the car represents focused manifestation, persistence, and proof that a dream visualized consistently can eventually take physical form. Carl Moon openly shares insights into what it takes to own and maintain such a powerful vehicle, removing the filters of glamor and giving viewers a grounded look into luxury ownership. While Carl is known for his success in crypto and business, a lesser-known side of him is now gaining attention — his passion for music. Recently, he shared a track originally created in 2012 that's now available on Spotify, signaling the beginning of something deeper: Carl Moon Music. His music isn't just about beats — it's about expression, ambition, and inspiring others through rhythm just as he does through his vlogs and lifestyle. What sets Carl apart is not just the life he lives, but the message he delivers. He blends entrepreneurship with authenticity, encouraging others not just to chase money, but to chase meaning. Whether it's through a high-speed ride or a heartfelt track, Carl keeps showing that every moment can be a piece of your dream—if you're intentional enough. The Carl Runefelt you see today — stepping out of a Bugatti, releasing tracks under Carl Moon Music, and living life on his terms — is the result of vision backed by action. His story continues to evolve, and each chapter reminds us that greatness often begins in the most ordinary places. For those still dreaming, Carl's journey offers a loud and clear message: don't wait for opportunities—create them. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
