Time-Lapse Video Transforms Birds' Flight Into Mesmerizing Abstract Artwork

black vultures from Dennis Hlynsky on Vimeo.

There's something about the flight of a bird that is both visually appealing and abstractly mesmerizing, as a viewer can ogle both the physical movement of the animals and the intangible spirit of their sky-bound dance. Not convinced? Just watch the videos of artist and Rhode Island School of Design professor Dennis Hlynsky, who captures the beauty of birds' flight patterns in gigabytes worth of archived footage.

swallows of essex from Dennis Hlynsky on Vimeo.

Hlynsky has dabbled in "a variety of physical and electronic media," focusing specifically on experimental video since 1978. His footage of flying birds comes from the areas around Providence, Rhode Island, where he uses a Lumix GH2 to record the movement of wings in a new brand of time-lapse documentation. After Effects is his program of choice, allowing him to craft visual trails that follow the actual paths of his soaring subjects.

Watch the videos above and below for a taste of Hlynsky's filmed works and let us know your thoughts on his melding of reality and fantasy in the comments.

1 2014 starlings 00011 from Dennis Hlynsky on Vimeo.

h/t Colossal