Video of the Day: Whole Zoo of Glowing Animals Gets Loose in Cologne

Painting with light has been around since the 1930s, when Man Ray used a beam and a long-exposure photograph to scrawl his signature into thin air. Picasso later fooled around with the technique for LIFE shutterbug Gjon Mili, outlining a bull and centaur (if you squint just right) inside a shadowed room.

But light painting has really come into its own with the advance of computer and optical technology. Among the throng of artists doing stunning work in this most-transient of mediums is Lichtfaktor, a photon-obsessed collective based in Cologne, Germany. Lictfaktor has used lights and long captures to produce a range of startling videos: In "Darkest Hour," a snaking beam of evil orange light stalks and kills pedestrians, while "Trauma / Face Your Fears" was inspired by PTSD caused by violence or childhood sexual abuse. Whoever thinks light-based art can't explore serious themes should watch these short films.