Otolith Project
Otolith grew out of a collaboration with the Plankton Ecology Lab at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon. In August 2023, I sailed on the oceanographic research vessel R/V Sally Ride with a team of scientists studying the planktonic portion of the marine food web. I joined the team on this 2-week journey to better understand the complex relationship between art and science. This work examines the area where these two modes of thought overlap, raising the question of how permeable the boundary between them is.
Out at sea, samples of larval fishes and their zooplankton prey were imaged, collected, and preserved. These samples will be studied for many years, providing a wealth of information about the fishes, their diets, and the environmental conditions promoting their growth and survival. Of particular interest to me were the fishes’ otoliths, pairs of tiny ear stones which provide key sensory information to the fish. As the fish grows, these structures grow via the deposition of daily layers, each layer recording the individual fish’s growth and its watery environment like a daily journal.
The ceramic pieces in Otolith are significantly enlarged from their original microscopic size and cast in porcelain. Each pair is then fired in a reduction-cooled wood kiln at Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project, where they serve as data points, recording the unique atmospheric conditions at specific locations within the kiln. This process parallels the research at sea, where samples—like the otoliths of fish—are collected to study the environmental conditions affecting marine life. Just as ocean samples reveal environmental insights, the ceramic otoliths record kiln conditions and the relationship between materials and the environment during firing.
Acknowledgements:
Otolith Project, an interdisciplinary project by Sarah Logan, was made possible through the collaboration, generosity, and expertise of many individuals and institutions. I am grateful for the financial support of the Provost’s Office at Oregon State University and the logistical support of PRAx, the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts, including Ashley Stull Meyers, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art. Special thanks to Oregon State University faculty member Su Sponogle, recipient of the 2023 L.L. Stewart Faculty Fellowship, whose research and partnership shaped the project, and to the Plankton Ecology Lab at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon, including Su Sponogle, Robert Cowen, Jami Ivory, Luke Bobay, Elena Conser, Talia Davis, Cameron Royer, and Nick Howard. I also thank Grace Junyue Zhong, who created a 3D image of the otolith specimen using X-ray microscopy at Stanford Nano Shared Facilities, and Hideo Mabuchi, who processed the image data in Dragonfly 3D and converted it into a printable STL file. Additional thanks go to the Innovation Lab at Hatfield Marine Science Center and lab manager Drummond Wengrove for 3D printing support; to Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project in Loch Lomond, California, where the ceramic otoliths were fired in the train kiln with the support of Scott Parady, Hideo Mabuchi, and Sally Jackson; to Isaac Fisher for the turned wood bases; to Tara Turner for metal fabrication; to the crew of the oceanographic research vessel R/V Sally Ride; and to Kelly Sutherland of the University of Oregon.