Prior to meeting Klaus Kemp (above) I had never heard of the art of Diatomy. The Amsterdam based Frame Magazine commissioned me to photograph Klaus for a feature on Diatomy.

Diatoms are microscopic single-cell algae coated in beautiful glass shells, usually found in any natural body of water. There are hundreds of thousands of varieties of diatoms all with individual forms.

Diatom arrangements are beautiful collections of individual diatoms laid out in increasingly complex patterns. Diatomy is very much a Victorian past time. The intense interest in the natural world coupled with the fusing of art and science created the perfect time for something like Diatomy to thrive. All of the arranging is undertaken at a microscopic level. You can imagine the time and patience required to complete one of these works.

Here are a couple of Klaus's pieces.