How small are diatoms? If you take a rough average, the length may be 0.001 cm. How to create with such a small biological unit may really require a strong passion to support it! Klaus Kemp is silicon A master of algae art, he does everything from collecting raw materials, removing impurities, and classifying them. He studies everything about diatoms and transforms them into art to show their most beautiful postures. Even if they are not visible to the naked eye, as long as they are If you stand in front of a microscope and take a look, the picture under the lens is absolutely incredible!
The origin of diatom creation can be traced back to the Victorian era. From biologists to royal aristocrats, everyone loved the beauty of diatoms. At that time, people were obsessed with using tweezers to arrange diatoms into various geometric totems. It is an ancient laboratory art to carefully remove the outer shell of the material and then try to combine it into various shapes.
The outer shell of diatoms
Klaus Kemp is collecting diatoms by the water
In modern times where technology has become more advanced, Klaus Kemp has perfected this art. He uses a more systematic arrangement method to gather diatoms into regular patterns, like the tradition in Eastern Europe. Folk totems are also like the kaleidoscope that people played with when they were children. They are quite complex and gorgeous.
Photographer Matthew Killip edited Klaus Kemp’s interview process into a short video. You can see Klaus Kemp operating under the microscope, how to use a needle to pick up a diatom (really super small),And how to arrange the small diatoms into the final product? No wonder people nickname Klaus Kemp as The Diatomist, it really lives up to his name!
