After Nienke’s project SEA ME – a handmade rug knotted with seaweed yarn into an old discarded fishing net- she continued her research on how seaweed can contribute to a more sustainable textile industry. With funding from the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, she could research not only how this sustainable yarn can be used in the textile industry, but also in what other ways seaweed can be used. Nienke worked on creating a circular process to optimally use the seaweed. The waste of the one process is used for the other process, ending up with zero waste.
Nienke discovered even more potential than she had expected: natural dye with seaweed offers a wide variety of colours. She can dye textiles into greens, browns, greys and even pinks and purples. Every type of seaweed gives a different colour. The light fastness of the dye is proven to be more than qualified.
To show the potential of these materials, Nienke designed a chair and a table. The seating of the chair is made of seaweed yarn and dyed naturally with seaweed. This was woven by hand into a soft seating. The leftovers of this process are used to create a regular paint for the tabletop. The waste from was used to make the bio-plastic bowls. That’s how she wants to visualize how seaweed can be part of our homes in the future.
The process and research are documented in a book called – SEAWEED RESEARCH by Studio Nienke Hoogvliet.
The SEA ME Collection is part of the collection of the Centraal Museum, Utrecht (NL).
Photography by Femke Poort
Size chair: 90 x 50 x 80 cm.
Size table: 40 x 40 x 40 cm.