Diatom Rose Window

In this work, Ottawa-based artist Jennifer Macklem draws inspiration from an enlarged image of a diatom – microscopic jewel like microalgae that produce up to 50% of the oxygen on our planet. Found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world, diatoms transform carbon dioxide into the air we breathe through photosynthesis.

Sharing similar shapes, this image of a diatom is combined with a diagram of the Rose Window from Notre Dame, the famed gothic cathedral in Paris, France. By overlapping two systems of belief – the sacred connotations within Catholic iconography and the analytical renderings from scientific observations – Macklem showcases ordinary natural phenomena in a sacred light and illuminates this public space with the warm light of a natural blessing.