Each drop of water
from sea, soil or stream
is teeming with life.
A mi-CROS-copist’s dream!
Diatoms shimmer
in rainbows of light.
Their intricate coats
a magnificent sight.
These algae have skeletons:
glassy-grown cases
with species-specific
designs on all faces.
Placed on a slide
only microns apart,
kaleidoscope patterns
delight us as art.
First published in Double Helix (April 2018)
Reproduced with permission of CSIRO http://www.doublehelix.csiro.au
inspired by:
Klaus Kemp – The Diatomist – & Algae Kaleidoscopes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxkbSk–EUY
Published on Feb 9, 2017
Struck by the beauty and symmetry of diatoms, modern-day microscopist Klaus Kemp recently revived the Victorian art of diatom arrangement. In this short film by Matthew Killip, peer into the peculiar art form and witness a modern-day diatom master at work.
