‘Bloom’ consists of 42 ceiling-hung plexiglass plates, overlapping each other in three layers, and carrying about 1400 intricate porcelain sculptures of algae. These algae are sculpted after microscopic photos that I took of phytoplankton from coastal sea water that I sampled from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Algae are essential for life on Earth. They produce at least half of the oxygen we breathe, lock away carbondioxide from the atmosphere, and are at the bottom of the marine food chain. All life depends on the health of the algae populations and their distribution throughout our waters, but these microscopic organisms are affected by multiple factors that are a result of climate change. Increased algal blooms are one of the alarming consequences. The rapid proliferation of one species due to increased water temperature and nutrient supply due to more turbulent waters, depletes the water of oxygen, blocks the sunlight from other algae and poisons the environment.

The installation depicts the bloom of a species that is both toxic and bioluminescent. Under UV light, the disastrous effect of this harmful algal bloom shows the sole survivors of this phenomenon.