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How a man makes art out of some of the smallest organisms on Earth

How a man makes art out of some of the smallest organisms on Earth

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Loads of patience and a remarkably steady hand are big parts of a method that is as meticulous as Klaus Kemp's subjects are tiny. Kemp — who bills himself as a "specialist in diatom microslides and diatom arrangements" on his website — is a maker of diatom arrangements, an art that actually began back in the Victorian era. To shed light on the centuries-old practice, filmmaker Matthew Killip put together a quick and informative look at how Kemp arranges the delicate works. The micro-documentary finds Kemp searching all over for the right diatoms for each piece, and because the single cell organisms are in such abundance, according to him, "it doesn't matter whether it's a horse trough, or a ditch, gutters... you name it; where there is water, it's worth having a look."