and other ocean micro-worlds
Neil, Sylvia, and Elliot (Strathclyde Uni) brought a table of diatoms to a pop-up Museum of Microalgae in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, along with algal evangelist Eric Bear and a crew from the SAMS Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa in Oban. Amazing turnout for a rainy Friday in November, and there were algae-based energy … Read more
Stop-motion experiments exploring Scottish ocean micro-worlds. Crochet rockpools by Emily Doolittle (who also composed the score) and an origami food chain from diatoms to sandeels via copepods, brought to life by Clubhouse Animations. Many thanks to Greenlight Creative, pianist Rachel Iwaasa, and the other marine scientists who brought their ideas! showreel on Vimeo
A group show of recent art-science collaborations at Arctic Science Summit Week, Edinburgh, March 2024. Neil curated the show and brought the plankton. Neil’s diatoms in the background, along with crochet Arctic sea stars by Emily Doolittle and Laura Johnson‘s painting A Way of Life, Threatened.
Neil and Peter brought a coastal food chain to the British Origami Society spring convention in Milton Keynes. There was gannet chat followed by gannet folding. but really, quite a lot of diatoms.
The Mapping Ocean Change Through Art project kicked off a season of public workshops around Scotland with a day at Cove Park where we combed the beach, filtered plankton out of the sea, and folded a Scottish coastal food chain from phytoplankton to gannets. Diagrams for many of these are available elsewhere on this site.
Centric diatoms—glass-walled, single-cell phytoplankton found throughtout the oceans—have a beautiful diversity and complexity that invite new mashups of the venerable tradition of origami stars and flowers. Neil has been experimenting. Stay tuned.
Diatoms are single-celled, plant-like organisms found throughout the world’s oceans and freshwater. They form dense, short-lived blooms that the rest of the ocean food web depends on, like microscopic rainforests that come and go with the weather. Their exoskeletons are made of silicate (glass) and can take a huge variety of geometric forms. Triceratium diatoms … Read more
