Diatom Mixtape

<p>For the last 30 years renowned Utah-based botanist and environmental activist Sam Rushforth has been contracted with the state of Utah to protect its water supply. Every 4 to 6 weeks he drives hundreds of miles from his home to several remote reservoirs in Utah&#39;s Wasatch mountain range. He collects an ornate microscopic organism called the diatom. The diatom is one of the most numerous and diverse organisms on the planet, the basis of the aquatic food chain, produces much of the oxygen on earth, and is a key scientific indicator of the health of a water system. In order to philosophically understand a deeper, hidden connection to our natural environment, this 18-minute experimental mixed-mode &#39;science film&#39; focuses on Sam&#39;s engagement with a vast isolated landscape, then travels through the microscope to the diatom itself.</p>

<p>Living in the mud at the bottom of the water garden pond at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/brooklynbotanic/"><strong>@brooklynbotanic</strong></a>&nbsp;are many many navicular diatoms. When you look at the pond you can tell they&#39;re there because they produce tiny air bubbles that sit on the surface of the mud. Diatoms are photosynthetic. Photosynthesis produces oxygen. Oxygen makes bubbles under water. When you put them under the microscope you get to see how busy they are. This clip&nbsp;came from Instagram <a href="http://instagram.com/pondlife_pondlife">@pondlife_pondlife</a>,&nbsp;taken by <a href="http://labocine.com/search/sally%20warring">Sally Warring</a> with a Leica microscope and LabCam. Sally takes almost all of her videos with <a href="http://www.iduoptics.com">LabCam</a>.</p>

<p>In Diatome&eacute;s, Jean Painlev&eacute; turns his lens toward the microscopic world of diatoms&mdash;unicellular algae encased in intricate silica shells. Filmed using advanced microscopy techniques, this silent, color-drenched short reveals the hidden rhythms and patterns of these aquatic organisms. Floating between scientific observation and visual abstraction, the film transforms a biological subject into a meditative dance of form and light. Created in the later years of Painlev&eacute;&rsquo;s career, <em>Diatome&eacute;s</em> exemplifies his singular ability to merge science, art, and cinema into a hypnotic exploration of the invisible.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Diatoms are a type of photosynthetic algae of great importance in our ecosystems. &ldquo;Diatomic&rdquo; showcases the intricacies of these microorganisms by using their complex shapes to create graphics for an archaic video portrayal of various diatom species, alluding to the fundamental complexity of microbiology. &ldquo;Diatomic&rdquo; was made in appreciation for these organisms, putting them into a fast and colorful visual format filled with instant gratification to make &quot;diatomic&quot; intricacies easily digestible for the human brain.</p>

<p>After the death of his grandmother, a Mexican biologist living in New York returns to his hometown nestled in the majestic monarch butterfly forests of Michoac&aacute;n after many years. The journey forces him to confront past traumas and reflect on his new hybrid identity, launching him on a personal and spiritual metamorphosis.</p>

<p>A take on our future told through the voice of hybrid creatures.</p>

<p>aDiatomea is an artificial life system that uses various methods and notions of a-life research. The basic principle of aDiatomea is that every aspect of it is entirely mathematically generated and thus it is not created purposefully as an art piece but as a complex system that takes a life of its own. These artificial organisms are based on actual unicellular organisms known as Diatoms. These beautiful microscopic creatures are constructed using the superformula, an equation that can reproduce organic forms. Granular sound is injected in these organisms, acting as their life-force, while they interact with each other and their environment. This film shows a recording of 36 seconds of evolution in 5 different colonies of artificial diatoms, pushing the boundaries of complex computer calculations.</p>