Seaweed is not just a resource we can break down into its many exploitable parts for our benefit. It is one of the millions of companion species on the planet we need to engage with differently as a mode of collaborative survival. For my Masters in 2021 I worked with washed-up seaweed - everyday and usually overlooked or even avoided.
My dried seaweed sculptures are designed to offer a different way of experiencing seaweed, creating a new relationship between the human and non-human. Some are on mirrored turntables so they can be viewed in the round and in reflection while others can be worn - 'wareable' sculpture. Ware is an old Scots word for seaweed.
By ensuring it is still recognisable as seaweed, I aim to retain its essential character while changing its status by giving it new aesthetic value. In the words of the Gutai, a radical group of Japanese artists, my aim is to let the material 'speak with its own mighty voice'.
My dried seaweed sculptures are designed to offer a different way of experiencing seaweed, creating a new relationship between the human and non-human. Some are on mirrored turntables so they can be viewed in the round and in reflection while others can be worn - 'wareable' sculpture. Ware is an old Scots word for seaweed.
By ensuring it is still recognisable as seaweed, I aim to retain its essential character while changing its status by giving it new aesthetic value. In the words of the Gutai, a radical group of Japanese artists, my aim is to let the material 'speak with its own mighty voice'.
