Plankton underpin marine food webs, contribute to ocean carbon cycling, and respond sensitively to climate variability, yet their microscopic size keeps them largely beyond public awareness. This presentation introduces an ArtScience project that transforms scientific plankton images into a large physical mosaic puzzle. The source archive combines region-of-interest (ROI) images acquired in natural waters across China with the underwater dark-field Imaging Plankton Probe (IPP) [1], developed by the research team from SIAT and Xcube, with phytoplankton images obtained using the OptoSieve[3] light-sheet flow microscopy imaging. The published IsPlanktonCLR algorithm [2] extracts chromatic features from raw IPP ROI images, enabling quantitative characterization of plankton coloration rather than image enhancement; this objective color information guides the artistic arrangement of the puzzle pieces.
Computational matching and artistic editing assemble plankton, larvae, aggregates, and suspended particles into a symbolic macro-image, such as an eye. Variations in scale, density, brightness, and orientation create depth on the flat surface. From a distance, the puzzle appears as a unified composition; at close range, it reveals the planktonic life from which it is built. This work thus reverses the direction of scientific observation—humans initially observe planktonic particles through an instrument, while an oceanic eye composed of plankton gazes back at humanity, linking scientific imaging to perception, responsibility, and coexistence. The physical puzzle makes microscopic ocean life tangible and invites reflection on marine environmental change and human–ocean coexistence.
Keywords​
ArtScience; plankton; Imaging Plankton Probe; physical puzzle; climate communication
References​
[1] J. Li et al., “Development of a buoy-borne underwater imaging system for in situ mesoplankton monitoring of coastal waters,” IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 88–110, 2021.
[2] G. Guo et al., “Colorization for in situ marine plankton images,” in Proc. European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV), 2022, pp. 216–232.
[3] K. Ye et al., “Dual-mode imaging flow cytometer for simultaneous scattering and fluorescence imaging of phytoplankton,” Optics Express, vol. 33, no. 13, pp. 28045–28061, 2025.