Bullet through He Bubble c. 1967

Curator: This gelatin silver print, “Bullet through He Bubble,” was created by Harold Edgerton. Editor: What strikes me is its frozen violence. The piercing—the almost cartoonish pop—of destruction rendered so starkly. Curator: Note the careful arrangement: the bubble centered, the bullet's trajectory precise. The tonal range is expertly managed, creating depth and form. Editor: The bubble as a symbol of fragility, of course, is age-old, but here, it's about more than just tenderness or youth. It is human aspirations and dreams, abruptly and brutally shattered. Curator: Edgerton’s innovation allows us to see the previously invisible. It's a study of motion, light, and form stripped to its essentials. Editor: Exactly, and by eternalizing such a fleeting moment, he gives permanence to the destructive forces that surround us. Food for thought, indeed.