The Hypnotic Art of Diatom Arrangements

Klaus Kemp has a passion for diatoms and he wants to show the world how these single cell algae are more than just, well, single cell algae. With the aid of a microscope, people from the Victorian era used to fix the tiny organisms into patterns and Kemp is considered as one of the last practitioners of the lost art. Kemp’s fascination with them started at 16 and today, spends his spare time taking water samples from ditches and lakes to gather some of the 10,000 discovered diatoms to add to his collection. Today, his intricate, complex arrangements of the glass shelled organisms are sought after by collectors all over the world. In addition to mandala-like formations, perusing through his site reveals the multitude of shapes and sizes of diatoms offers countless combinations of fun arrangements such as those depicting an American flag, a bald eagle, and even a group of choir boys.

To view an article on another type of intricate arrangements, try Leonardo Ulian’s Symbolic Technological Mandalas.

The Diatomist from Matthew Killip on Vimeo.