Matthew Killip, an English filmaker now resident in New York, has created a short documentary about our friend and mentor Klaus-Dieter Kemp.It is extremely well done and well worth watching. There are numerous links to the video on the WWW. However, if you click the image above if it will open a new browser window and take you to one of these. There is commentary and music so make sure your speakers are switched on.The Diatomist from Matthew KillipTHE DIATOMIST is a short documentary about Klaus Kemp, master of the Victorian art of diatom arrangement.Diatoms are single cell algae that create jewel-like glass shells around themselves. Microscopists of the Victorian era would arrange them into complex patterns, invisible to the naked eye but spectacular when viewed under magnification.The best of these arrangements are stunning technical feats that reveal the hidden grandeur of some of the smallest organisms on Earth. Klaus Kemp has devoted his entire life to understanding and perfecting diatom arrangement and he is now acknowledged as the last great practitioner of this beautiful combination of art and science. THE DIATOMIST showcases his incredible work.Soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bernard Herrmann and Cults Percussion Ensemble.
In March of this year one of the editors was selected by the awards committee of the State Microscopical Society of Illinois as recipient of the August Köhler Award.This was awarded for contributions in the field of diatoms.The award ceremony took place in June at Mercat Restaurant, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. There to receive the award on Steve Gill's behalf was John Gustav Delly who has worked closely with Steve on a number of projects."This honour," Steve says "is actually a tribute to all those contributors , editors and colleagues who have done so much to further the study amongst the amateur microscopists."
From April 2022 hosted on the Microscopy-UK website with the permission of The Amateur Diatomist webmaster Steve Gill.
