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The Algae Collection
01
Algae ranging
between living
and dead matter
Imagine a world in which we harness nature in favor of man without harming it. Wonderings upon our consumption habits and a vision for a better well being for the planet and for us, have generated a design process examining the algae as a catalyst for perceptual change.
Imagine a world in which we harness nature in favor of man without harming it. Wonderings upon our consumption habits and a vision for a better well being for the planet and for us, have generated a design process examining the algae as a catalyst for perceptual change.
Imagine a world in which we harness nature in favor of man without harming it. Wonderings upon our consumption habits and a vision for a better well being for the planet and for us, have generated a design process examining the algae as a catalyst for perceptual change.
SEAmpaty Displays objects with a lot of respect and love for nature, which on one hand Trying to cultivate the Algae, and on the other, maintaining the Algae inner world of concepts - smells, textures and unique connotations.
In an era characterized by fast and changing fashion that leads to polluting and wasteful industries, I felt that my role as a designer requires me to relate to and embrace values such as sustainability, environmental activism and zero waste.
The project provides a green alternative to a matter, and seeks to bring man and nature together by giving man an active role in growing and recycling the object.
Biophilia believes that human beings have a natural tendency to make connections and relationships with nature, and sees nature as a major component in stimulating our senses throughout evolution.
The project engages with the Biophilic experience and natural aesthetics by objects that present two approaches which create a hybrid between land and sea:
YAMA
Reuse of dead algae that have been collected at the beach
A partition which proposes an implementation of the
algae as a versatile sheet with a potential for recycling
and industrialization.
Out of circular design and zero waste approaches, that tries not to produce more junk. I created biomaterial that can be use and reuse by repeating the process of its "cooking".
At the end of the life of the new sheets, it can be used as raw material for new casting, or return it to nature
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MAYMA
Reconstruction of the algae for a configuration of
living fibers that sustain photosynthesis.
During my project, I collaborate with Weizmann institution for science, and worked under Dr. Filipe Natalio's lab for researching and developing methods for creating living matter. Experimenting with new field and co-working with scientists was essential and meaningful.
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The purpose of the experiment was to create a manipulation for a living microscopic algae colony while preserving it in life.
After many attempts and development time I have reached the accuracy required to produce a shell for algae that on the one hand transforms into a material for the formation of spheres or fibers and on the other hand allows gases exchange and the continuation of living material.
The purpose of the experiment was to create a manipulation for a living microscopic algae colony while preserving it in life.
After many attempts and development time I have reached the accuracy required to produce a shell for algae that on the one hand transforms into a material for the formation of spheres or fibers and on the other hand allows gases exchange and the continuation of living material.
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microscopic inspiration
sample: #12
type: ulva
zoom-in: x7300
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Weaved living algae thread
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microscopic inspiration
sample: #36
type: string
zoom-in: x330
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Algae thread contain living micro algae
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microscopic inspiration
sample: #23
type: wakame
zoom-in: x2150
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Liquid living algae. Injected into a 3D printed habitat
As a reaction to covid-19 mask polution and discariges, the artist made biosheet intrepretation of a mask, for a virtual exhibition of covid primal creative reactions while the first lockdown in Israel
02
Further
Material
Applications
As a continuation of SEAmpathy Project, the collaboration
with nat-2™ is a way of expression of biophilic values, that
seeks to create deeper connections and relations between
man and nature. By these values we have created a sneaker
line of 100% vegan and eco-friendly shoes with algae
pattern.
SEAmpathy as a project, and as an approach, believes that we can harness nature in our favor without harming it. The project uses this vision of a better world, that man works together with nature, and by creating algae-based biomaterials, propose a whole new world of opportunities that are sustainable, ecological and innovative.
The curiosity of how far this material can go, and the desire to examine the wide variety of implementations it could fit, have led me to create a collaboration with Sebastian Thies (Munich born, *1981), 6th generation footwear designer since 1856 that has launched the sustainable luxury brand nat-2™ in 2007.
The Algae sneakers attempt to generate a perceptual change in the way that we act with our nature, by using bio sheets that made of dead algae picked from nature, and give them a new life cycle as a daily fashion item.
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This first step of industrialization of the bio sheets together with using 100% vegan materials stands for a potential change in our consuming habits and a reduction of our footprint in this world in our time
03
Algae Sneakers line
Daniel Elkayam X nat-2™
04
SEAmbio
Algae made
wall panels
Collaboration with "OVO Design", an emerging Polish interior design brand, Presented at Warsaw HOME fair 2019
The collar led to design and implementation of the algae made sheets that have been created as part of the SEAmpathy project. The idea was to integrate the sheets as part of natural wall panels, that on one hand taking few steps forward "commercializing" the bio-sheets and aiming to work with bigger companies and architects around Europe, and on the other hand, keeps the core values of SEAmpathy such as sustainability, biophilia, and ecology.
The collection including two lines of the design, which are based on basic measurements of 1m on 1.5m
These basic "boxes" allow to adjust the panels to a specific space\wall and create a custom-made design by multiplying the amount of the boxes and play with the patterns and compositions.
The implementation of the algae bio-sheets, and the application of it as a wall panel, reinforcing and continuing the vision of getting our nature back into the urban spaces. into our homes.
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05
Winter
Bloom
Algae, one of planet earth's oldest organisms, are likely to be found in unusual environments. They show up every winter, grow on the roofs above our heads, covering the streets that we step on, coating the trees and the stones in marvelous green rugs, but are somehow mainly considered as unhealthy, unhygienic green dirt that should be removed.
We have built cities that exclude nature, and while algae aim to grasp our attention in the urban spaces, we have been ignoring it. But what if we can learn from the algae's ability to form symbiotic relationships with other organisms, and we will embrace nature as a collaborative entity? What if we will take a different approach that welcomes the algae and gives nature a place to thrive?
This is a temporary public exhibition that allows a closer look at our surroundings by displaying objects and materials that reveals the beauty and the potential of the algae, a moment before it's gone until next winter. The exhibition is an immediate reaction that through a visual journal, material compositions, and outdoor urban setup, throws light on natural phenomena that are usually unseen. All of the exhibits have been collected from the surroundings and placed sensitively as they are in the public space.
