Julia Lohmann is a designer, researcher and a Professor of Practice in Contemporary Design at Aalto University. Her work studies and critically examines people’s relationships with nature and the ethical and material value systems connected to them. Critical practice and transition-design, biomaterials and collaborative making are some of her research interests. Lohmann is part of the BioColour research team, where bio based resources are studied as a raw material for dyes and pigments. (photo Petr Krejci)

In 2013 Julia established Department of Seaweed as a designer in residence at the V&A museum of London. In this transdisciplinary community experts in design, craft, science and anthropology explore and study the potential of seaweed and algae as new sustainable material. In the picture Julia is working on a seaweed installation ‘Oki Naganode’ in her residency studio in V&A in 2013. (photo Petr Krejci)

Seaweed has many interesting qualities, one of which is that it can be dyed. Here are some early experiments of dyed seaweed by Lohmann. (kuva Julia Lohmann)

In this experiment the algae Saccharina latissima was coloured with woad plant (Isatis tinctoria), which produces the blue indigo dye. (kuva Julia Lohmann)

Seaweed can also be studied as a source of colourants. Brown algae contains fucoxanthin as one of its main compounds providing beautiful brown shades. (photo Riikka Räisänen)

Julia’s work in the Department of Seaweed was recently exhibited as a participatory seaweed laboratory in Helsinki Design Museum’s Critical Tide exhibition 6.9.-27.11.2019 . The Department of Seaweed is also currently on display in two international exhibitions, “Nature” in Cooper Hewitt Design Triennal in New York, USA and in Cube Design Museum in Kerkrade, Netherlands both until 19.1.2020. (photo Riikka Räisänen)

Department of Seaweed – exploring new biomaterials

The online exhibition features work by designer and researcher Julia Lohmann, who has explored the potential of seaweed and algae as materials for design and making. Her work includes also experiments regarding colour.

Sources:

https://www.designmuseum.fi/en/exhibitions/design-club-open-call-2-critical-design/

https://www.julialohmann.co.uk/

https://www.aalto.fi/en/contemporary-design/professor-julia-lohmann

https://www.departmentofseaweed.org/events/