Photographer Anand Varma’s recent work explores the lives of chickens, from egg to hatchling

Edited by Randi Bjornstad

Photography at Oregon’s Last Friday Photo Movie Night on May 29 will begin with a short film about the work of Portland photographer Isabella Cassini, first aired as an Oregon Art Beat Spotlight on Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Here’s how it was described by OPB:

“Cassini combines her love of food and tolerance of chaos into her latest photography project, “Splashes, Crashes, and Smashes.”
In her studio, Cassini takes foods that we normally don’t think go well together, like raw eggs and macaroons, and smashes them against each other.
The result? A beautiful mess.

To achieve this, Cassini built two ramps out of wood and plexiglass, and faced them so that whatever she dropped would smash together in the middle.
Meanwhile, she has her digital camera set up right in the middle, in an attempt to capture the exact moment the two foods crash together.

“It was a lot of trial and error and the whole idea behind them was to be able to throw two different food items, liquid, whatever it may be, down them and into each other. And so that they would crash in the middle and create something explosive and exciting and unexpected.”

After that, PAO will show its main feature, titled Anand Varma? Hidden Wonders, which originated as part of the National Geographic’s Photographer series. Here’s how that is described:

“Anand Varma proves that you don’t need to travel to the ends of the earth to capture incredible photos — you can do it all from your home! In this acclaimed documentary, Varma uses science coupled with stunning visual storytelling to spark curiosity and create a deeper connection to our natural world. Through innovative photography techniques, his images magnify the invisible to reveal the incredible details that typically go unseen.

Known for capturing the secrets of the natural world through his images, Anand this tiime takes on a new challenge: chicken embryos. He reflects on his own career evolution while photographing the metamorphosis of chickens from eggs to living creaturs, a process typically invisible to the naked eye.”

PAO’s Last Friday Photo Movie Night on May 29

When: Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; movies start at 7 p.m.

Where: The New Zone Gallery, 110 E. 11th Ave., downtown Eugene (corner of 11th and Oak

Details: No set charge; free-will donations appreciated to help defray costs

Photographer Isabella Cassini photographs foods, sometimes on their own and sometimes crashing together to create “a beautiful mess.”