From a height of three meters, porcelain figurines are dropped on the ground, and the sound they make when they hit trips the shutter release. The result: razor-sharp images of disturbing beauty—temporary sculptures made visible to the human eye by high-speed photography technology. The porcelain statuette bursting into pieces isn't what really captures the attention; the fascination lies in the genesis of a dynamic figure that replaces the static pose. In contrast to the inertness of the intact kitsch figurines Klimas started out with, the photographs of their destruction possess a powerfully narrative character.

“The Skeleton Krewe was founded in 1999 by Christopher Kirsch. Inspired by the early days of Carnival before tractors and floats replaced walking processions, the Krewe has become one of New Orleans' premier marching clubs. The Krewe began actively marching as a small group of friends, but has grown to 40 active members”. – The Skeleton Krewe. Photo: “The Skeleton Krewe 2013 – Manning”. (Photo by Kevin O'Mara)

A migrant worker wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks up to a pedestrian bridge in Beijing, Sunday, December 6, 2020. Provincial governments across China are placing orders for experimental, domestically made coronavirus vaccines, though health officials have yet to say how well they work or how they may reach the country's 1.4 billion people. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)

Serge Huguenin of the Blondeau foundry takes the newly melted bell out of the mould in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland January 21, 2016. At this year's Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, no matter how elaborate the opening ceremony or how sophisticated the live broadcasts, the final lap of athletics races will be announced the traditional way by ringing an old-fashioned bell. Omega, the official timekeeper of the event, has ordered 21 bells, forged almost entirely by hand by Blondeau's Bell Foundry in the Jura Mountains in Switzerland. Each last-lap bell is branded with the RIO 2016 logo and circled with the words “2016 GAMES OF THE XXXI OLYMPIAD”. (Photo by Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

Miesha Tate, UFC women's bantaweight shows the media how to fight during a UFC press conference at Akasaka Garden City on August 26, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)

These little grizzly bear cubs had fun making a real splash when their mum took them for a dip to learn how to fish. Kamchatka, Russia. (Photo by Marco Mattiussi/Solent News & Photo Agency)

A motorist holds on to a post as she braves high winds and rain of Super Typhoon Meranti in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, 14 September 2016. The storm is the strongest recorded since Super Typhoon Haiyan developed in 2013. (Photo by Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA)