Underneath a microscope, plant stems can become beautiful works of art. Professor Rob Kesseler has shown this through his photographs of plant cells magnified to display extraordinary patterns.
Kesseler, chair of arts, design and science at the University of the Arts London, is fascinated with these patterns and has been studying plant cells for 10 years.
When placed under a microscope, a primrose stem becomes an explosion of pink and yellow, and an orchid stem reveals a mosaic of purple dots. Kesseler composes multiple pictures, sometimes as many as 500, to get a full image.
Kesseler has curated the exhibition Mi Pattern, open until Nov. 7 at Central Saint Martins in London. The images on display in the gallery have been enlarged to take up an entire wall.
The exhibit also includes a laboratory where visitors can place their own materials under microscopes to create patterns. A high-powered electron microscope is available to use, which can magnify objects up to 10,000 times their normal size. Visitors can also observe their own skin using a small Dino Lite microscope. All the images created will be printed and complied to make a pattern book.
Kesseler's pictures are indeed fascinating and show the beauty of the natural world, which often goes by undetected. Many of the wonders around us are too small to see. Check out the rest of the photos here.
Photo Credit: Rob Kesseler
