Diatoms & Inflations

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I have known about these diatomic ‘jewels’ since the seventies through Ernst Haeckels book Artforms in Nature. I incorporated them into the sculptures on Huntcliff, at the entrance to Lakeside Park, and included them in the touring show Sculpture Signs and Seats. They now live in the Oak Boat at All Hallows school near Farnham .
I was seriously amazed when, having welded up the first large diatom shaped envelope out of 3mm sheet I saw it expand as it filled with compressed air. Sculpture made easy; you connect the compressor to the flat shape, turn the pressure on and watch it grow. Would it explode ? If it were made out of copper or aluminium the likelihood is that it would explode shattering as it work hardened. Mild steel however is more malleable and so seemingly is Stainless Steel but caution as one of them did split a seam and blow!
I worked from drawings in the book; A Guide to the Morphology of the Diatom Frustule by Horace Barber and welded up a dozen or more forms inflating them as I went. The choice of the diatom is significant as it seems to be an image for The Myriad Creatures, Lao Tsu; "Tao begets one; One begets two; Two begets three; Three begets the myriad creatures." Like stars the diatom exists on an almost infinite level in every pond lake and sea; in my workshop they were taking shape in front of my very eyes. I was finally making the invisible visible. Great cargo for the oak boat.
A great way to manifest patterns found in quantum physics as well see Probability Patterns. Play the super game microbe! I must thank my friend Peter Parkinson for introducing the idea of inflating forms to me.