Plankton are the forest of the sea– oxygen engines and the base of the food chain. They’re also some of the most ramified, visually interesting living objects on the planet.

I started sculpting plankton in 2020. Most recently- I’ve started sculpting silicoflagellate. These guys are single celled algae that- at some stages of their lives- form spiky, geometric exoskeletons- meandering through the ocean like something out of a science fiction film.

They’ve also provided a lot of grist for artists- Ernst Haeckel most famously…

One of the special delights is that I’ve discovered a vibrant, engaged, knowledgeable community of plankton fanatics on Instagram. These guys will tell you if you depict an aspect of form incorrectly- see the correspondence below. Accuracy and detail are vital if you’re working at the science interface- I’m really glad to have the informal backing of these enthusiasts.

A couple of my favorites…

Fossil Diatoms
Diatoms of Macedonia
Awesome Algae

It’s a fun, meandering exploration. Each new species is unique in form- and you effectively get to discover a new creative pathway with each one. For example, creating this specific species (Dictyocha speculum) involves an extruder, a heat gun, and elements that are ‘pulled’ like handles on a mug.

Here’s a short process video that talks about the project in its broader aspect.