A set of resin lenses suspends the delicate life of California’s coast—seaweed, bull kelp, carnelians, and urchin spines—preserved to refract light and attention onto a vanishing world.

Developed in collaboration with Keeley Rideout, this project merges scientific research and sensory experience to bring underwater ecologies to the surface. Inspired by our fieldwork and mentorship from artist Josie Iselin, we created a tactile archive of marine biodiversity—pressing and casting fragile specimens into 14-inch resin rounds that act as visual instruments for reflection.

Our process involved coastal foraging, studio pressing, and resin casting using a three-layer pour technique. The resulting lenses, presented at Rodeo Beach, invite viewers to slow down, look closer, and consider the quiet urgency of kelp forest collapse.