Caliche Crystals is part of an artistic research called Caliche Winds, which explores the historical trade and windsailing maritime route of sodium nitrate (natural saltpetre), or locally called “caliche”.

In 2014, saltpetre crystals were grown over a period of a week in a saturated solution and then photographed using a digital macro lens.

In 2018, three new series from a selection of microscopic captures were produced, thanks to the support of the TU – Berlin, in the frame of the Festival of Lights. One of these captures was projected towards one of the highest buildings in Berlin, the Telefunken.

Caliche Crystals extends a real-time perception of the dynamic and symmetric growth of sodium nitrate crystals. It suggests a reflection about the molecular geometry of this resource, which has been subject to scientific controversy regarding its natural sedimentation in the Atacama Desert: it is not clear if it has been formed by marine dew and oxidation, or as a consequence of the volcanic activity.

• Exhibited at: 
• – 2014, Museo de Los Sures, New York, USA
• – 2018, Architecture Building, Technische Universität, Berlin, Germany
• – 2023, THE Gallery, Mürsbach, Germany

Microscope supporter: Bresser