Every tear has a story.

The resulting micrographs function as story starters. The image draws you in, but the story behind the tear gives it meaning. Tears can be connected to sadness, frustration, loss, goodbye, happiness, laughter and many other experiences. By sharing both the image and the story, the project creates space to talk about the moments and challenges in life that caused those tears — and, through those stories, to connect with one another.

The crystalline pattern itself does not tell us what someone was feeling. Tear composition differs between people and tear types, while preparation, temperature, humidity and evaporation also influence how a tear crystallizes. Imaginarium of Tears therefore brings two things together: the hidden visual landscape of the tear and the personal story that belongs to it.

Each artwork begins with the complete microscopic image of a real crystallized tear. Hundreds of microscope photographs are assembled into one highly detailed image, preserving both the overall form of the dried tear and the structures that only become visible under magnification.

The resulting image can be experienced at very different scales. As a digital image it allows close inspection of the microscopic landscape; as a photographic print the tear becomes a physical object while retaining the detail of the original microscopy.

At larger dimensions, the relationship with the image changes again. A structure that originally existed within only a few millimetres can extend across a substantial part of a wall, allowing the viewer to move between seeing the complete tear and discovering individual crystalline formations.

The scale, material and presentation can therefore be adapted to the space in which the work will live — from a personal photographic print to a large finished artwork for an interior, exhibition or public setting.