Jess Holz

16 Nov 2024

Hello hello world. I’m on here now. I am a microscope addict. I do a lot of plankton chronophotography, see below video of vorticella feeding currents. I love the microworld and consider myself an advocate for these tiny creatures, I like to make them visible. Will post more soon

jessholz.comNeustonic VoidA cinematic, immersive archival interface for multidisciplinary bio-art and scientific imaging.

30 May

I’m excited about my new website redesign! Check it out here: jessholz.com (ignore the text in the link preview I’m having trouble with cache-ing). Stay tuned, I’ll be updating the archive section with tons of plankton videos this month. #sciart

15 Mar

My good friend Kricket is deeply dedicated to studying the organism Stentor. Despite chronic illness and limited resources, she drives hours to the lab whenever she can. She’s been invited back to MBL this summer- please consider helping fund her stay! gofund.me/86b6b2f11 #plankton #microscopy

15 Mar

This was a Stentor timelapse we made earlier this week from her trip to Boston (which she also had to crowdfund). She was magically able to locate one ‘on demand’ despite that I very rarely find one in Boston. She also brought me samples from all the way up the east coast. #sciart #microscopy

15 Mar

Despite everything, Kricket continues to advance knowledge of this amazing single-celled organism. She has already discovered 3 new species, remarkable because only 13 are described. I would just love to help her get to the Marine Biological Laboratory this summer. #protists #Crowdfunding

22 Feb

This amoeba from a Charles river culture featured in my solo exhibition that just came down- it started eating a dying flagellate- but the flagellate actually jumped out of its mouth! I’ve never seen that before. The amoeba did catch up with it and eat it tho. #sciart #microscopy #plankton

14 Feb

FINAL WEEK for Plankton Paintings: Footprints of the Invisible at Harvard Ed Portal. Next thursday is the last day to see it, it’s been a great run! I’ve really enjoyed bringing local plankton to center stage, and had some wonderful conversations. #sciart #microscopy

youtu.beWe Just Found a Mind-blowing New World of Electrostatic BiologyYouTube video by Anton Petrov

10 Feb

airborne nematodes hitching rides on insects and other cool stuff- fun video youtu.be/ql35lWxuaVU?...

6 Feb

My dad did manage to squeeze in a visit to Boston earlier this week 😊 Just a reminder the show is up until until Feb 19th. #sciart #plankton #microscopy

31 Jan

For #fluorescencefriday I present boring brown ‘junk’, debris, marine snow- consisting of decaying organisms and plant matter, that become colorful galaxies under fluorescence. I always wonder about the histories of living organisms present in these debris. Sample from the Charles river #sciart

31 Jan

I like doing side by side, phase contrast and fluorescence, to really see the transformation. #microscopy

31 Jan

27 Jan

Anyone know what the coiled structure is in these fluorescence photos? The coil seems to be only visible if the tissue is destroyed. 200-400x magnification, autofluorecence of a sample collected from punching through ice in a shallow part of the Charles river, Boston. #sciart #microscopy

27 Jan

At first I was reminded of a vorticella axoneme, but that’s not what this is. The tissue looks a bit plant-like to me but I really can’t tell what it is. I’ve found it before in my water samples, rarely. Giving my fb microscopy group a run for their money with these photos.

youtu.beJess Holz artist talk - Plankton Painting solo show @ Harvard Ed PortalYouTube video by Brittany Paris Archived

22 Jan

If anyone wants to listen to my artist talk on plankton painting moderated by @pgirguis.bsky.social it’s up here :) youtu.be/66F5FQskmW0?... #sciart #microscopy

17 Jan

Thanks everyone for coming to the opening of Plankton Paintings: Footprints of the Invisible. Had great turnout and the artist talk went well. My mom, sister, and friend from Milwaukee even flew out. Super special to share this with everyone. #sciart

10 Jan

Plankton Paintings: Footprints of the Invisible now on display until feb 19th at Harvard Ed Portal. Super exciting to see this come together. Opening reception next thursday 5-7pm, would love to see you there! #sciart #microscopy

20 Dec 2025

I'm super excited to announce a solo exhibition at Harvard Ed Portal featuring my timelapse Plankton Paintings: hrvd.me/gallery-holz. Opening reception Jan 15, 5-7pm, at 6pm I'll be doing an artist talk in conversation with @pgirguis.bsky.social Would love if you could join! #sciart #microscopy

20 Dec 2025

The installation will feature timelapse microscopy paintings, lots of new video work, and even a plankton altar. Working on editing my fluorescence work now for a special fluorescence 'section', vid shows some green fluorescent vorticella I thought were cool. #sciart #fluorescencefriday

31 Oct 2025

When the brain states back: spooky neuron faces I’ve found, for halloween (‘eye’ see u…) #sciart #electronmicroscopy #pareidolia

26 Oct 2025

Had a blast at Artisans Asylum open studios scoping tardigrades. Made some fun timelapse too with the ciliates in the sample providing the ‘scribbles’. Def attracted nerdy types with the tardigrades, but even people who didn’t know what they were were captivated by their cute little wiggles.

27 Oct 2025

Highlights from the day below. #sciart #tardigrade #microscopy

27 Oct 2025

saw 3 tardigrade exoskeletons with a single egg inside, including this one in the timelapse above, anyone know much about this tactic?

23 Oct 2025

Nice to see artwork from my new scope finally on paper. Gearing up for Artisans Asylum open studios this Saturday 2-7pm. I’ll be selling plankton stickers and will have a live tardigrade station! #sciart #microscopy

19 Oct 2025

Boston folk, Artisans Asylum fall open studios is next Saturday, 2-7pm. I will be setting up a live tardigrade station in my studio! :) Would love to see you there. tinyurl.com/FallIntoMaking #sciart #microscopy

If anyone on here knows how to ID polychaete larva, I’d love to work with you on getting to the species level on these worms I always find in Boston harbor. I could provide a ton of photos, if I knew what to image for an ID. I know they are spionid but that’s it. #sciart #microscopy #plankton

I just love their pigment designs does anyone know about the function?

inaturalist.orgCopepods (Subclass Copepoda)Copepods from Tremont, ME, USA on August 25, 2025 at 05:41 PM by pinkbeetle. weird robot looking copepod. Would love an ID on this one!

Still looking for an id on this weird robot looking copepod I found on vacation in Maine, anyone have any ideas? www.inaturalist.org/observations... #sciart #microscopy

@copepodology.bsky.social any ideas?

Polychaete larva cilia currents in timelapse. #sciart #microscopy #plankton

anyone on here an expert on fluids?

For #fluorescencefriday I just thought these neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus were pretty. #sciart #microscopy #confocal

14 Sept 2025

Really loved this part of Plankton Performance at MIT museum. This part of Movement II: Charles river is done using timelapse and fluorescence microscopy. Note all the filamentous cyanobacteria. Big red blobs are rotifers with chlorophyll in their bellies swimming around. #sciart #experimentalvideo

youtu.bePlankton Performance at MIT Museum Sept 12th 2025YouTube video by Jess Holz

14 Sept 2025

If anyone is curious to see Plankton Performance at MIT Museum last Friday (my collaboration with sound artist Senem Pirler and local Boston plankton under the microscope), I just uploaded a video here: youtu.be/mIxZhLeqJoo?... #sciart #microscopy

13 Sept 2025

I’m a day late for #fluorescencefriday but I had a blast at MIT museum ‘performing’ with live improvised sound by Dr. Senem Pirler. Vid shows fluorescence microscopy of the Charles river, note all the cyanobacteria. #sciart #plankton

13 Sept 2025

Hope to do a lot more collabs with Senem. Also my friend who works at the museum gave us the cutest gifts afterward. MIT museum has a killer gift shop- and for my stuff it’s just a fantastic space. Copepod bigger than a human on that screen! #sciart

13 Sept 2025

Also anyone have an id on this mystery critter from the Charles river I followed during the performance?

7 Sept 2025

Plankton Performance, this Friday 7pm at MIT museum. I will be collaborating with plankton from the Charles river under my leicamicrosystems.bsky.social microscope, while Senem Pirler responds to their movements and behavior with sound. mitmuseum.mit.edu/programs/pla... #sciart

7 Sept 2025

Last call for tickets for this unique concert! This is a big one for me so Boston folk, I’d love it if you could join. Video shows the trails of diatoms in timelapse. mitmuseum.mit.edu/programs/pla... #sciart

1 Sept 2025

A rare green fluorescent flagellate, ‘swimming plant’, trails in timelapse under fluorescence microscopy. Anyone know what causes green fluorescence in marine critters? 99.9% of flagellates I find are red from chlorophyll. Sample collected from Boston harbor. #sciart #algae #plankton

Lovely vacation with my folks on Mt Desert Island in Maine. Amazing spot on the water, I brought a little scope and had a blast looking at sea life. Even the lichen next to the house had tardigrades! #sciart #microscopy

Found my first starfish larva! Check out the currents in timelapse. #sciart #zooplankton

Also found blue copepods, red copepods, and robot looking copepods (middle pic). Can anyone help with an ID? #sciart #plankton

fcld.lyPlankton Performance | MIT MuseumJoin us for an improvised collaboration between artist Jess Holz and composer Senem Pirler.

I’ll be ‘performing’ with lively plankton from the Charles river at MIT museum Sept 12th, 7pm. Composer Senem Pirler will respond to the plankton movements with sound. Would love to see you there! #sciart #microscopy

Leica Microsystems@leicamicrosystems.bsky.social

✨🦠 Join artist Jess Holz @jessholz.bsky.social & composer Senem Pirler for "Plankton Performance," a live sci-art experience under a Leica DMRB microscope! 📍 MIT Museum, Sept 12, 7PM EDT 🔗 Get info: https://fcld.ly/zzw2dn9 #sciart #planktonpainting #ScienceMeetsArt

Started my vacation with a family visit to my studio, looking at water from the harbor. My sister Brit is the one that crocheted me all the adorable critters (great for workshops too). And we found a polychaete that looked like toothless! Below. #microscopy #sciart

Also this unknown arthropod (I think) literally crawled out from under the coverslip! Made a beeline for my stage clips but then got confused and turned back. Never had anything like this happen before. I thought have looked at it but does anyone know what it is (sorry just have this vid)

Doesn’t this polychaete look a bit like Toothless? #sciart #zooplankton

9 Aug 2025

I’m excited to announce Plankton Painting as a live audiovisual event/concert, in collaboration with Dr. Senem Pirler who will respond to the rhythms, textures, and motion of these lively organisms through sound. Boston folk, I’d love to see you there! mitmuseum.mit.edu/programs/pla... #sciart

12 July 2025

Plankton painting at MIT museum was a blast! I’m stoked that 80 ppl came, the auditorium was almost full. See paintings from today at: flickr.com/PlanktonPainting Bosmina bloom in the Charles river right now, made things interesting. #sciart #microscopy