Fathomers

03/06/2026

Join us for an evening of curiosity and revelry as we celebrate the release of the Emergence catalog. The night will move through moments of intimacy and spectacle: see yourself at the cellular level, consult experts on the frontier of synthetic biology and art, and immerse yourself in a dance performance that collapses time, space, and scale.

Saturday, March 28
7–10 p.m.
York Manor

Featuring:

After Life | 8 p.m.
Performance by Jas Lin, Vanessa Hernández Cruz and Piramon Kumnurdmanee with Henry Tan

DJ set | 8:30 p.m.
Claire L. Evans (YACHT)

Bites by Balo | Cash Bar

Emergence explores how artists and scientists are engaging with synthetic biology to imagine new forms of life, agency, and authorship. First an exhibition and now in print, the project gathers thinkers from a variety of backgrounds to explore how synthetic biology and art-making can energize and inform each other.

The Emergence catalog is designed by Saturated Grey and published in conjunction with the exhibition Emergence, one of more than seventy exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide. PST ART is presented by Getty.

Reserve your spot at the link in bio!

12/04/2025

What tools do we have to investigate the invisible forces that both fray and reweave the webs of our ecological relations? Join us for Lab—Microbes & Monsters, Tools for Healing, the final part of the three-part interdisciplinary series Sense/Make, in which we explore how ecological remediation and creative practice can bolster one another.

Sense/Make: Lab—Microbes & Monsters, Tools for Healing
Date: Sat, Dec 13 | Time: 1-4 pm
Location: CAER Lab, DTLA (address provided upon RSVP)

We’ll begin with a laboratory-based investigation led by The Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation (.earth ) at their new space in DTLA! Using guided microscopy, we will visualize soil contamination and the microbial life working to restore soil health by studying samples taken from a post-fire remediation site in Altadena. Dr. Danielle Stevenson (.stevenson7 ) will share how fungi interact with pollutants and demonstrate how spores are extracted from soil samples to cultivate microbial cultures.

Then, with guidance from filmmaker and cultural practitioner Shanhuan Manton (), we’ll explore technologies for cultural healing such as collective storytelling, mythology, and creating monster narratives. Through found-object assemblage we will collectively create a sculptural manifestation of the monsters we face—and then perform a fungal inoculation to transform and biodegrade these monsters, assuaging them with acts of care. 

30-person limited capacity (advance reservation encouraged)!
The Sense/Make series is presented in collaboration with .earth and .
Visit the link in bio to learn more.

11/24/2025

What forms of life are present on a contaminated site? Earlier this month, we got our hands dirty on an active bioremediation site with Dr. Danielle Stevenson (.stevenson7) of .earth. We witnessed plants naturally thriving post-fire, including tree to***co, already performing phytoremediation on the land by pulling cadmium from the soil. Danielle showed us how to take samples using an auger, while others watched a hand-held XRF (X-ray fluorescence) quickly surveying what contaminants were present on the site.

In an exercise led by Casey Andersen of , we used Alvin Lucier’s 1970 experimental music piece ‘(Hartford) Memory Space’ as inspiration to listen deeply and make analog field recordings of the environment. Arden Stern () led us in a field sketching session, and back at , using found objects and unusual instruments, we composed an experimental musical narrative of the site. There was deep reflection, much laughter, and a sense of community, aided by delicious mushroom soup courtesy of local Altadena resident .

Be sure to look out for details on our third and final workshop in the Sense/Make series taking place on December 13th at .earth’s new lab space in DTLA. More info to come!

11/18/2025

The solo exhibition, Sage Ni’Ja Whitson: These Walking Glories, opens today at the California African American Museum. Curated by CAAM Executive Director and Chief Curator Cameron Shaw, the exhibition presents a portion of the artist’s Illumination Catalogue, an ambitious ceremony series and archive that grieves Black Trans losses and celebrates Black Trans living using ritual, oral history, photographs, and cosmic records. Through this work, Sage asks: “How were our exquisite births recorded in the sky?” and “How does the cosmos grieve us?”

To accompany the exhibition, Sage will perform their work Transtraterrestrial at select showings between Nov. 18-23, and will be joined by Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones for an artist talk on the evening of November 20. Please visit CAAM’s website for more details!

Fathomers congratulates Sage and the entire CAAM team on this exhibition. We are excited for Los Angeles to have the opportunity to engage more deeply with Sage’s work.

11/02/2025

Last month, we gathered at to learn about bioremediation from Dr. Danielle Stevenson (.stevenson7) from .earth as part of our Sense/Make workshop series exploring the intersection of ecological remediation and creative practice.

Danielle offered an overview of the major tenets of bioremediation. We learned that developing reciprocal relationships with fungi and plants involves learning to see the forms of life present on contaminated sites and understanding their needs so we can support a path of recovery. What do fungi need?

Following the lecture, scholar of U.S. visual culture Arden Stern () guided guests in making zines to process what we’d learned using magazine cutouts, found objects, and inspiration from our own personal experiences.

Foraged tea was served by Shanhuan Manton () alongside incredible treats prepared by .agent.

Thanks to everyone who participated. A great way to spend a Saturday!

RSVP for Nov. 8 and join us for the second workshop in the Sense/Make series, Fieldwork—Composing Soil. Link in bio!

10/27/2025

Join us in the field at a post-burn bioremediation site in Altadena. Learn about land through sensory experiments and create a collaborative “composition.” 

Sense/Make: Fieldwork—Composing Soil
Saturday, Nov. 8, 1-4 p.m
Location: Remediation Site in Altadena (exact location confirmed upon RSVP) and Trade School, Altadena

What forms of life are present on a contaminated site? How do we attune ourselves to their needs in order to support a path of healing?

Join .earth, , and for Fieldwork—Composing Soil, the second in the three-part interdisciplinary series Sense/Make, exploring how ecological remediation and creative practice bolster one another. 

Beginning on a field site in Altadena, learn how to safely interact with and explore a contaminated site with Dr. Danielle Stevenson (.stevenson7) of the Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation (CAER). Investigate soil composition by taking and analyzing environmental samples, and attend a demonstration of remediation in the field. Tune into land, plants, and fungi through sensory experiments in field sketching and recording led by Arden Stern () and Casey Anderson, co-founders of Trade School. 

Afterwards, gather at Trade School to assemble field notes into a shared “composition” of the day and enjoy seasonal soup from Altadena-based by . Sketching and recording materials will be provided, though you’re welcome to bring your own.

30-person limited capacity (advance reservation encouraged) 
Visit the link in bio to learn more!

10/13/2025

Congratulations to Tuan Andrew Nguyen (.andrew.nguyen), recipient of a 2025 MacArthur Fellowship!

Members of the Fathomers team collaborated with Tuan and his colleagues Matthew Lucero and Phunam Thuc Ha of The Propeller Group in 2015, to realize A Universe of Collisions at Grand Arts.

A Universe of Collisions involved the mid-air fusion of bullets from a Soviet-designed AK-47 and an American-made M16 firearm. The resulting sculptural works were exhibited at Grand Arts, Kansas City, and as part of the Venice Biennale in 2015.

We’re delighted to see Tuan recognized with the MacArthur and congratulate all of this year’s fellows for their remarkable work. For more on A Universe of Collisions, visit the link in our bio.

Image Credits: 1. The Propeller Group, process documentation, A Universe of Collisions, 2015; 2. The Propeller Group, process detail, The AK-47 vs. the M16, 2015. Projectile fragments encased in ballistic gelatin. Photo: E.G. Schempf; 3, 5. The Propeller Group, installation detail, A Universe of Collisions, 2015. Photo: E.G. Schempf; 4. The Propeller Group, process view, The AK-47 vs. the M16: Gel Block 19 of 21, 2015.

09/24/2025

Save the date(s)!

Sense/Make: An interdisciplinary workshop series exploring ecological remediation at the intersection of creative practice | Fall 2025

How do we heal land and make meaning in the process? Can ecological remediation and creative practice bolster one another?

Join us for a three-part interdisciplinary series led by Dr. Danielle Stevenson of .earth in collaboration with . Together, we’ll learn the basics of bioremediation including soil toxicity and ecological healing using fungi, microbes, and plants.

Meet a community of creative practitioners as we explore the poetic, political, and material dimensions of remediation: What stories live in the soil? What residues remain? And how might we compost harm into new forms of care?

Designed for artists, scientists, musicians, land stewards, and community members, each session blends ecological fieldwork, creative process, and collective reflection. No experience necessary—just curiosity, presence, and a willingness to get your hands dirty.

Workshop 1: Bioremediation 101—A Zine Workshop
Date: October 11 | Location: Trade School, Altadena

Workshop 2: Fieldwork—Composing Soil
Date: Nov. 8 | Location: Remediation Plot, Altadena

Workshop 3: Lab—Microbes & Monsters, Tools for Healing
Date: Dec. 13 | Location: CAER Lab, Torrance

05/20/2025

We are delighted to announce our selection to the Simons Foundation's Open Interval cohort! Fathomers co-founder and executive director Stacy Switzer, transdisciplinary artist Sage Ni'Ja Whitson, and NASA Exoplanet Science Institute Chief Scientist Jessie Christiansen will join 14 other trios to explore the theme of symmetry through art and science.

This collaboration is supported by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division. Congratulations to the rest of this amazing new cohort!

New Open Interval Cohort Will Explore Symmetry Through Art and Science on Simons Foundation