Anatomy of the Human by Mikael Owunna

According to West African Igbo spiritual science, the human soul is composed of four spiritual elements. These are the Chi (the Divine Force of Chukwu/God Within), Eke (Creative Physical Organic Matter), Mmuo (Collection of Memories, Personality, Desires),and Onyeuwa (The Part of the Soul that Has a Mission on Earth). These components are described in a complex cosmology that presents many beautiful ideas about destiny, reincarnation, and the rich multidimensionality of every human being.  Anatomy of the Human explores the representation of the multiple spirit bodies that make up the human self.

I produced these images through a highly technical combination of painting, engineering, ultraviolet light, and long exposure photography. I began by building a camera flash that only transmits ultraviolet light. During the photoshoot, I hand painted the bodies of models with fluorescent paints that only glow under ultraviolet light. I clicked down on the camera shutter in total darkness with a timed long exposure, and at set synchronized intervals, I activated the ultraviolet flash. With each flash, their bodies became illuminated as the universe as they gracefully moved around the set. My strategic use of a long exposure captured all of these illuminated moments into a single stop motion portrait on my camera.

Prints & Merchandise: Available Here