The underlying theme of this series of serigraphy prints is the extraordinary, single-celled plankton organisms that are to be found in the waters close to the surface of the ocean. The Plankton Portraits are based upon four different groups that have very special architectural structures. They are invisible to the naked eye, and have a life cycle of only a few days. 

The visual material, upon which these prints are based, consists of photographs and observations made in collaboration with microbiologists from The University of Bergen, using light and electronic microscopy. 

The initial contact with the research group was made on Svalbard in 2008 where they took part in an international research project called PAME (Polar Aquatic Microbial Ecology). The focus was on polar marine microorganisms and their activities; the processes that relate to these organisms and the significance of these organisms and their activity with respect to climate and global environmental change. 

Our collaboration on this project is based upon a common interest and fascination for the patterns and forms that are evident in the microbial, marine universe.  Art and science often begin with visual observations followed by mental adaptation and subsequent interpretation. My aim was to make visible something that is normally both invisible an inaccessible. This is the third series of prints I have produced, based upon material from the world of natural science. 

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