Portfolio > Shop

Explanatory Note
This paper cut is inspired by diatoms and radiolaria—microscopic marine organisms whose extraordinary siliceous skeletons sit at the intersection of biology, geometry, and art. During the Victorian era, these organisms fascinated both scientists and amateurs, giving rise to the pastime of diatom arrangement, in which individual specimens were meticulously organized into ornamental compositions for viewing under the microscope. That impulse—to impose order, pattern, and meaning on the invisible—remains central to my work.
Diatoms and radiolaria are not only visually astonishing; they are foundational to life on Earth. Diatoms, in particular, are responsible for producing a significant proportion of the planet’s oxygen through photosynthesis and form the base of many aquatic food chains. Radiolaria play a crucial role in oceanic ecosystems and the global carbon cycle. Their intricate shells are formed through biological self-assembly, using silica dissolved in seawater to grow complex, mathematically precise structures at a microscopic scale—processes that feel almost inconceivably refined given their size.
Ernst Haeckel’s Art Forms in Nature is an enduring reference point here, not simply for its beauty, but for how it framed scientific observation as an aesthetic act. Like Haeckel, I am interested in how scientific imaging expands our perception of reality, revealing worlds that are structurally perfect, alien, and yet fundamental to our own existence.
Within my broader oeuvre, this work continues my exploration of the tension between scientific order and imaginative excess. The intricate paper cut echoes the fragility of these organisms and the ecosystems they support, while the density and repetition of forms suggest abundance, proliferation, and systemic interconnection. As with much of my work, the piece oscillates between celebration and unease—inviting close contemplation of forms that are exquisitely beautiful, ecologically essential, and increasingly vulnerable in a rapidly changing world.