IMERSS
INSTITUTE FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE SALISH SEA
Furthering our vision for the Salish Sea: a resilient and interconnected bioregion in a changing world
Salish Sea Symposium Fundraiser Event
As this year’s fundraiser, IMERSS is putting on a Salish Sea Symposium on Galiano Island October 5th with various activities starting October 4th to 6th. In part of this event, we are auctioning artwork donated by Mark Webber and other collaborators from the Salish Sea Diatoms: an Art and Science Exhibit. You have the opportunity to view the pieces in-person at the Galiano Inn from September 5th until October 8th. Auction ends October 8th at noon. Pieces are printed as art prints with archival ink and paper.
*Note* Images have been cropped for viewing on this online platform.
About the Artist
In the microscopic realm, where more than 99% of life on Earth thrives unseen, my scientific research and artistic exploration centers on diatoms, the most diverse group of marine and freshwater algae. These single-celled wonders, encased in glass-walled bodies, hold both tremendous scientific significance and aesthetic allure. Diatoms are richly complex in their structure, cell wall ornamentation, ecological interaction, life cycle and reproduction. Crucial to our planet’s ecological balance, diatoms contribute substantially to the food chain—from bacteria to shrimp, fish and whales—and generate 20-25% of our breathable oxygen. With the aid of powerful scanning electron microscopes (SEM) at the University of Victoria, BC, Canada, we can zoom in with extraordinary clarity and depth, from 30x to 100,000x magnification. These intricate features are crucial to species identification, but on occasion yield stunning visual artistic treasures. By preserving diatoms whole, as they would be in environmental surroundings with bacteria and fungi, we can study microscopic community organization and reveal hidden worlds of unseen natural design and beauty.
Researcher, Buddhist Lama, and artist, I collaborate with investigators at the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia, and the Hakai Institute. As a member of the Institute for Multidisciplinary Ecological Research in the Salish Sea based on Galiano Island, and an Affiliate of UVIC, my collaborations focus on marine ecological studies by working towards the first comprehensive diatom inventory of the Salish Sea on the West Coast of Canada. Through diatom identifications, images, and research notes, I invite others to share in the marvel of these unseen wonders: Mark Webber’s iNaturalist Observations.
Mark Webber
Thank you to our sponsors
Daystar Market
Driftwood Village Resort
Galiano Golf Club
Galiano Oceanfront Inn & Spa
Galiano Trading Company
Yellowhouse Art Centre
OUR STORY
CO-CREATING COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION TO PLACE
IMERSS is a multidisciplinary, cross–cultural, and transboundary community of practice dedicated to long-term ecological research in the Salish Sea bioregion. We are driven by a common desire to empower communities in the effort to monitor biodiversity in this sensitive and dynamic coastal environment.
We strive to foster open access to science, scholarship, technology and art, encouraging individuals to play active roles attending to changes in the ecosystems that surround us. In this way, we hope to counteract the impacts of cultural amnesia and shifting baselines in this era of rapid ecological and social transformation.
IMERSS is a federally incorporated Canadian non-profit (1203734-3).
OUR PROJECTS
