A sensorial dialogue between people and seaweed: A material research into brown kelp.
In 2023 it is a well known fact that seaweed has become part of many theories of how to rebalance our ecosystems. However, it is not a material most people willingly or frequently interact with. Seaweed has in some ways become this abstract “saviour”, but how can we concretely and consciously use something we do not know, have not felt, smelled, or understood? The objective of Seaweed Dialogues is to breach this gap of the unknown, initiating a sensorial dialogue between human and seaweed, posing the question of what seaweed is and can be. This project has transformed into an extensive material-driven exploration of utilising brown kelp as a paper and leather-like biomaterial. The aim of the research is to explore how kelps can be turned into translucent, flexible material, pushing the boundaries and properties of this material by employing the natural polymers within the kelp itself to adjust the specific qualities of the material. Taking the research one step further, the project also explores how the material can be cast into self-supporting vessels and textures. By pushing the material into three-dimensional form, the objective is to initiate a sensorial dialogue between these seaweed vessels and human. A haptic interaction that informs alternative purposes and material prospects of brown kelp, putting the focus on its material value and possibilities. Seaweed offers us an array of exhilarating prospects for alternative nutrition, fertilisers, fuels, and materials, however, if we do not know the material, how can we use it, and use it consciously? Calling attention to the importance of cross-disciplinary collaborations and intersections between textile designers, material scientists, biologists and kelp.
