Designed to replace leather and plastic, these flexible materials can be used in both craft and industry. After several years of formulation in the laboratory, we were able to scale these materials up to the size of objects and, from then on, begin the design and shaping stage.
With Anaïs Jarnoux, we created a series of experiments and assemblies to adapt upholstery, leather-working and saddlery techniques to the materials. The different types of flexible materials, through their thickness, colour, particle size and dimensions, made it possible to design objects ranging from furnishings to luxury leather goods.
With their colours, opalescence, surface finishes and textures, seaweeds offer an infinite aesthetic palette.
Offcuts can be kept, either to be melted down again to create new materials, or to be returned to nature, where they will serve as fertiliser and food for insects. This project is fully part of a radical ecological approach. Everything is reusable, fully biodegradable, and ultimately returns to the earth.
| Materials | Green, red and brown seaweed |
| Origin | Brittany |
| Award | Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Intelligence of the Hand - Dialogues 2022 |
| Number of pieces | 85 |
| Production | Agora grant |
| Assistant | Niels Nijman, Jérôme Calvarin |
| Collaborators | INRAE, Anaïs Jarnoux |
| Images | Marin Avram, Matthieu Barani, Matthieu Torres, Ambroise Tézenas, studio Samuel Tomatis |