These electron-miscoscopy images of diatoms were obtained from a biofilm that grew on pieces of plastic we left to hang for three weeks over the side of our old boat on the filthy Bristol Avon.
The rivers, canals and estuary surrounding and criss-crossing through and under Bristol are teeming with diatomic life yet these sites are also strewn with human produced detritus including fossil fuel derived micro-plastics and human effluent. They are full of unseen stories and dark histories, human and more-than-human. This ongoing project is about finding something beautiful in the most unexpected of places where things often uncomfortably rub up against each other, only to quickly recede out of view, out of reach again.
Diatoms are single-celled siliceous micro-organisms living in oceans, rivers, mudflats... everywhere. They are a major part of the ecological food chain, essential for nurturing life on Earth. Through photosynthesis, diatoms convert CO2 into organic carbon releasing significant quantities of oxygen into the atmosphere (about 20% of the oxygen we breathe is produced by diatoms in our water bodies across the world, each year). When oceanic diatoms die, they sink to the ocean floor. Fossilising, they form the vast oil lakes that are now increasingly subject to the demands of the ever-expanding human thirst for oil - through the exploitation of fossil-fuels and production of petroleum-based polymers.
Discarded plastics break down in micro-plastics which bacteria and diatoms can colonize to become new life-rafts for transporting cells across the oceans. On the other hand, some micro-plastics can transport dangerous microbes and potentially harm diatoms so essential for the life of the planet. Complex interactions therefore exist between plastics, associated pollutants and cells, which may impact consumers. It’s a complex cycle of relationships in which human activity plays a crucial, often destructive part.
Plastic containers hanging from the side of our old narrowboat, Bristol Avon
Biofilm from the river on plastic sample
In the lab
Diatom samples suspended in distilled water ready for the microscope
This project was originally funded by the Brigstow Institute, University of Bristol with additional funding from West of England Visual Arts Alliance (WEVAA) through a collaboration with Prof Marian Yallop, Dr Josh Dean and Dr Chris Neal (all at Bristol).