Today we have the pleasure of exploring the fascinating work of Julia Lohmann. Julia is a renowned co-speculative designer, researcher, and Professor of Practice in Contemporary Design. Her work investigates and critiques the ethical and material value systems underpinning our relationship with flora and fauna. From pioneering the use of seaweed as a sustainable design material to leading the Department of Seaweed, Julia's innovative approaches challenge conventional design norms and inspire new ways of thinking about our world. 

During the episode, we will uncover the story behind her groundbreaking projects, her unique perspective on design, and her vision for a more sustainable future.

Meet the artist

Julia Lohmann's journey into the world of seaweed began with a visit to a seaweed market in Japan back in 2007. This experience sparked a deep interest that has led her to become a leading figure in the study of seaweed. Now a professor at Aalto University in Helsinki, she founded the Department of Seaweed which we will approach in more detail later. 

Lohmann creates intricate organic sculptures from seaweed to showcase its possibilities, with her work displayed at prestigious venues such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the 24th Biennale of Sydney.

Lohmann advocates for a shift in how we engage with nature, emphasizing empathy and a more-than-human-centric approach. She highlights the environmental benefits of seaweed cultivation, such as its ability to absorb excess nutrients from the sea, which helps prevent environmental damage. Lohmann stresses the importance of a regenerative mindset rather than simply substituting one material for another. She believes we must alter our environmental impact by adopting new methods of producing materials and objects. 

“I ponder how relating to the algae’s marine origin and its agency in its eco-system helps us reflect and understand our own human agenda and mindset. In the process of working with kelp we aspire to become more like kelp. We are becoming phytofied. Can working with algae transform our actions and reflections towards a less destructive, perhaps even regenerative practice?”

Lohmann's research extends beyond seaweed to include bio-materials and sustainable environmental practices. She is involved in the CreaTures project (Creative Practices for Transformational Futures), which examines how creative practices can support environmental and social sustainability. One initiative under this project is the Baltic Sea Lab, which encourages cooperative methods and tools to enhance the health of the sea, fostering a network of 'sea stewards' dedicated to marine conservation.

Questions:

Why is it important to critique and re-evaluate the materials we use? 

“Our material transformation has to bring forth a shift in our mindset: When we scale algae-production we need to be aware of and scale the environmental benefits without scaling the negative impacts. We need a regenerative mindset that supports the eco-systemic health of the locality we engage in. By employing a bio-inclusive ethical frame that considers the needs of the non-human stake-holders we affect through our actions we can grow algae in a way that supports its agency and benefits ocean health”

“An extractive mindset that reduces the immense complexity and agency of the ocean down to human economic principles is an eco-systemic insult.”

Oki Naganode, 2013

The sculpture Oki Naganode is a significant artistic piece that embodies the essence of seaweed through its form and materiality. 

Name and Symbolism: The sculpture's name, Oki Naganode, holds symbolic significance and reflects its inspiration and cultural connections. "Oki" in Japanese means 'big' and can also be a first name, while "Naga" refers to Naga-kombu, the type of Japanese kelp used in the sculpture. "Node" can be interpreted as both a knot and a Japanese syllable ending a family name. This naming convention reflects Lohmann's view of kelp as a co-designer and emphasizes the sculpture's ties to Japanese culture and mythology 

Materiality and Form: The creative process behind Oki Naganode involves a focus on the material qualities and natural changes of seaweed. Lohmann and her team at the Department of Seaweed stretched kelp blades onto rattan frames, giving special attention to translucency, shrinkage in drying, and the organic forms of the seaweed blades. This attention to the material's characteristics and the awe for life experienced in nature guided the sculpture's creation, resulting in a piece that embodies the essence of seaweedness .

Collaborative Design: The collaborative nature of creating Oki Naganode is highlighted through the Department of Seaweed collective's efforts to transform algae into sustainable materials for making. The sculpture's form-finding process involves a dialogue between Lohmann's design vision and the seaweed's inherent attributes. Its a collaboration between the material and the creators. 

Visual Representation: Visual representations of Oki Naganode showcase its organic-looking and tensile structure, which responds to light and environmental conditions. The sculpture's design creates a visually striking and environmentally sensitive artwork that blurs the boundaries between art, design, and nature. The sunlight-bleached appearance of the sculpture further connections it to the natural world and the transformative qualities of seaweed as a material.

Material and concept 

The concept of 'phytofication' plays a significant role in the development of biomaterials and objects using macroalgae, as explored by Julia Lohmann in her research.

Material Agency: Phytofication involves actively embracing the material agency of macroalgae and treating it as a co-designer in the creative process. By acknowledging the inherent properties and potential of seaweed, designers can collaborate with algae to create biomaterials and objects that communicate the unique qualities of seaweed to diverse audiences.

Co-Speculative Design: Phytofication aligns with a co-speculative design approach, where designers shift from being individual authors to enablers of communities of practice that envision less harmful multi-species relations. This collaborative mindset allows for the exploration of regenerative practices and the development of biomaterials that reflect a deep understanding of the natural world.

Shift in Mindset: Phytofication encourages a shift in mindset from extraction towards regeneration. By learning from algae and embracing their material agency, designers can explore new possibilities for biomaterial development that prioritize sustainability, multi-species relations, and ecological awareness.

Department of Seaweed

The 'Department of Seaweed' community of practice at the Victoria & Albert Museum, founded by Julia Lohmann and a group of practitioners, holds significant importance in the realm of biomaterial development and design innovation.

Public Engagement: The Department of Seaweed invites museum visitors into the process of working with algae, offering them a firsthand experience of the multi-sensorial presence of seaweed within an ongoing design process. This interactive approach allows for a deeper understanding of seaweed's potential as a sustainable material and fosters public engagement with the concept of phytofictions – scenarios for future uses of algae.

Holistic Engagement: The presence of seaweed in the museum space creates a multi-sensorial experience for visitors, staff, and the collective working within the Department of Seaweed. By sharing processes, tools, samples, and prototypes with the public, the community of practice enables a holistic engagement with seaweed, sparking conversations on the potential benefits and pitfalls of utilizing algae as a material.

Imagining Future Possibilities: The Department of Seaweed serves as a space for co-imagining phytofictions – speculative scenarios for the future use of algae and other biomaterials. By exploring the potential applications and benefits of seaweed in various contexts, the community of practice stimulates creativity and innovation in the field of biomaterial development.

Conclusion 

“The algae taught us an important lesson: alone we achieve very little, in multitudes we thrive. If we all start at square one with inventing a new material and do not share the knowledge we gain in an open-source way, we will simply repeat these first steps time and again.”

Thank you for joining us on this journey into the innovative world of Julia Lohmann. We hope you found her insights into sustainable materials and ethical design as inspiring as we did. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Thank you for listening!

All images courtesy of Julia Lohmann.

References: 

https://www.floornature.com/design-trends/julia-lohmannas-redeeming-seaweed-17477/

https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/9-dimensions-for-evaluating-how-art-and-creative-practice-stimula

https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/phytofictions-and-phytofication