Ricketts’ Lantern (Hollywood, California, 2019) is inspired by the appearance of life forms from the ocean, such as cnidarians, cephalopod eggs, leptocephali, or microscopic larvae. These organisms often have translucent outer membranes, giving them an ephemeral appearance.

The installation is named after biologist and writer Ed Ricketts, co-founder of the Pacific Biological Laboratories in Pacific Grove, and later Cannery Row in Monterey. Ricketts pioneered marine intertidal studies in the 1920s, which helped to understand the interaction and relationships among species and laid the foundations for ecology and environmental research. Ricketts was a multifaceted intellectual who managed to bring together writers and artists from California’s post-war years.