This article was written by Julia Lohmann, Associate Professor in Contemporary Design at Aalto University. Julia is also a member of the TIDAL ArtS Consortium. Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
TIDAL ArtS projects will explore the intersection of art, nature, and regenerative practice, and many of our consortium members are themselves deeply engaged in artistic practices that question and reshape our relationship with the natural world. One inspiring example of this kind of work is Julia Lohmann’s exploration of seaweed as both material and collaborator. In the book Being Algae : Transformations in Water, Plants, Lohmann’s article “Phytofictions and Phytofication” invites us to rethink our relationship with natural materials, positioning macro-algae not only as a resource, but as a collaborator in the creative process.
Lohmann’s research pushes the boundaries of biomaterial innovation through a uniquely empathic approach. In founding the Department of Seaweed at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, she created a space where art, science, and community could meet to explore the potential of seaweed. ‘Phytofication’ is an approach that embraces the material agency of macroalgae and treats it as a co-designer, enabling the development of biomaterials and objects that communicate the potential of seaweed to diverse publics. These works spark ‘phytofictions,’ or imaginative conversations around how we might use algae and other biomaterials in the future. Working with, and learning from, algae through these two dimensions can help us shift our mindset from extraction towards regeneration.
Lohmann challenges designers to treat algae as an active co-designer by recognizing its material agency and capacity to inspire new, regenerative ways of making. In a time when the climate crisis demands that we move beyond extractive models, Lohmann’s seaweed-centered practice offers a hopeful glimpse into a future where design nurtures multispecies relationships and fosters deeper environmental empathy.
Explore the full article (linked below) and reflect on how these ideas might influence your own creative practices.
Link to the full article: https://acris.aalto.fi/ws/portalfiles/portal/147899569/Chapter_12_Phytofictions_and_Phytofication_Lohmann_pdfa1b.pdf