ocean acidification art

Artist David Eisenhour’s recent sculptures are inspired by science; now tiny organisms usually only viewed through the eyes of a scientist at a microscope can be seen by those who visit the Simon Mace Gallery in Port Townsend, WA. Eisenhour’s new exhibit “Dissolution-Dissillusion” is an interpretation of our changing oceans. One of his organisms of focus is the pteropod, a tiny marine snail, whose thin shell has been shown to dissolve as a result of ocean acidification. This tiny snail is important to the marine ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest as it is a staple in the diet of pink salmon, red herring and mackerel. NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory  scientist, Dr. Nina Bednarsek, shared scanning electron microscope images with the artist to help him create beautiful bronze sculptures of pteropods and other marine creatures in a changing environment.
Eisenhour’s exhibit “Dissolution-Disillusion” will be open August 3rd and be on display through September 2nd at the Simon Mace Gallery in Port Townsend, WA.