Sometimes the best way to create something is by destroying something, like frying a sheet of plywood with 15,000 volts of electricity to see what the effect would be. This simple idea is what Melanie Hoff has done for her video 15,000 Volts which is referred to in the description as “high voltage wood erosion”—but that doesn’t really do it justice.By sending the electrical current into the wood and speeding it up thousands of times fractal-like patterns work their way across the wood, with sparks flying out and cracks appearing creating a Rorschachian effect for the viewer. Just like spotting faces in the clouds you can make out your own patterns and shapes in the intricate lightning bolts that form as the wood succumbs to the effects of the electricity.Describing the effects it has on the plywood panels Hoff says: “The grain of the wood influences the pattern and direction. The layers of veneer and the glue that holds them together causes the growth to progress much slower than in non-plywood.”[via Vimeo Staff Picks]@stewart23rd