Iori Tomita, a fisherman by profession and a ichthyologist by education, creates New World Transparent Specimens.

Iori-san of Japan uses various techniques to transform marine life into beautifully fascinating and colorfully preserved transparent cadavers. He first removes the scales and skin of the fish and then soaks the fish that dyes the cartilage blue. He then uses a host of chemicals to break down the proteins and muscles – and stops right as they become transparent but before they lose their form. The bones are stained with dye (blue for hard bones and red for softer bones) and preserved in jars of glycerin.

“I want to show people the hidden side of natural beauty that they might miss out on ordinarily,” Iori-san explained of his incredibly creative handicraft called 新世界 透明標本 in Japanese.

But like many things in the open water, things of art and accomplishment take time. Some of the artwork takes up to one year with many taking 4-6 months of painstaking labor.

For more examples and an explanation in Japanese, visit here for see more ¥2,000 – ¥20,000 (US$24 – 240) pieces of art.

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source