International students from the universities of Iceland, Finland and Estonia reflect on the symbiotic interaction between people and marine environment. "The Seaweed Ceremony" exhibition combines existing knowledge of aquatic organisms with contemporary research in design practices. The exhibited works explore seaweed with care and compassion through ritual-like gestures. 

"The Seaweed Ceremony" focuses on the conscious design approach that recognizes seaweed as currently underused but economically very promising biological resource, with the aim of developing this renewable resource and its further industrialization.

In the last decade, seaweed has been explored as a potential resource for new materials. Seaweed is also known today as "green gold", the algae biofuel of the future and even as an alternative to animal protein in human diet. In order for these futuristic expectations to be realized in the near future, we need a radical change in our way of thinking, i.e., learning about these mysterious aquatic organisms and various species, and so moving towards a restorative, supportive and nourishing ecosystem.

The DiMa Sustainable Design Laboratory of the Estonian Academy of Arts has been working with local seaweed as one of its focus topics since 2015. Local seaweed has been tested as a raw material for the production of various bio-plastics, as a nutrient-rich food, and even as a possible biomass for the treatment of wastewater. With the help of experts and companies in Estonia and the Nordic-Baltic region, they have been researching the Baltic Sea ecosystem and the role of algae in it.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!