The images were created by a University of Ulster academic using microscope slides prepared by Victorian microscopists.
At the turn of the last century, viewing such slides with the help of 'magic lanterns' was a popular form of entertainment, but the Victorians could not reproduce the images as colour photographs.
Mr Lowry said many of the Victorian microscope slides in private ownership were starting to deteriorate and he has been trying to record as many as he could for posterity.
"These slides were often produced more for their artistic qualities than their scientific merit," he said.
"Using a polarising microscope or polariscope, even specimens that are colourless to the naked eye can produce visually stunning colours when magnified and viewed using polarised light.
"You can even alter the colours using light retarding filters."
The exhibition, New Light Through Old Windows, is being staged at W5 in Belfast, where Design and Exhibition Manager Adrian Hutton said they have been creating a stir with users.
"I've noticed a lot of parents reading the panels and then explaining to their children what the images are, which is always a good way to hold their attention," he said.
The exhibition also includes work based on the micrographs produced by Aoife Ludlow, Duncan Neil and Emma McClintock from Interface, the University's research centre in Art and Design.
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