FEMeeting Workshop: Plankton Painting with Jess Holz
Workshop 1: June 27th, 3:00 pm—4:30 pm EST
Workshop 2: June 27th, 5:30 pm—7:30 pm EST
(participants only need to register for one session.)
Where: Meet at, INCUBATOR Art Lab Studio, located at 144 University Ave W.
Limit: 9 participants/session
Want to Paint with Plankton?
Join Jess Holz for a FEMeeting workshop on June 27th at the INCUBATOR Art Lab Studio, located at 144 University Ave W. There will be two separate plankton painting sessions: Session one will be from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Session two will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
In this experimental photography workshop led by artist and scientist Jess Holz, participants will create 'paintings' using microscopic plankton collected from ponds in the Windsor area. Participants will use a microscope and software to make videos similar to timelapse photography. At the decisive moment, participants will snap photos of the trails created by these microscopic creatures, which will be uploaded to: https://www.flickr.com/photos/planktonpainting. Jess considers these images to be automatic drawings or paintings, as the plankton creates the marks and composition, all happening within a millimetre or less. Chronophotography allows us to see these creatures' 'footprints'; instead of a giant footprint in the dirt, there is a small squiggle. Participants will learn the operation of the microscope and the basic identification of microscopic pond life while getting a fascinating glimpse into their dynamic behaviour, such as the helical paths of flagellates and the water currents generated by rotifers as they feed.
This workshop is open to FEMeeting participants only.
Please register for only one workshop or tour for Thursday, June 27.
No food or drink in studio.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: Session One (3:00 pm EST - 4:30pm EST)
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: Session Two (5:30 pm EST - 7:00pm EST)
Meet the Instructor
Jess Holz
Jess Holz (b. 1985) creates artworks which give the viewer a peek into invisible worlds, as well as a chance to reflect on the influence of scientific visual culture on our collective imagination. She has recently received a MFA in Art+Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; previously she has worked in several labs and imaging facilities, gaining valuable technical experience with a number of microscopic imaging techniques. She currently works as an electron microscopy research technician at a Boston University lab which investigates the neural circuitry underlying thought and emotion. A true artist/scientist at heart, she has been using the scanning electron microscope for artistic purposes for the past 18 years. Her award winning micrographs have been exhibited nationally and as far away as South Africa, and have garnered the support of the Frederick Layton Fellowship and UW-Milwaukee Chancellors Award. The discrepancy between what can be perceived by eye and what is imaged with the microscope has fostered her fascination with perceptual systems along with the optical properties of materials. Jess actively exploits this in photography and installation.
Image Credit
Jess Holz, 2024.
