Julia Lohmann

Hidaka Ohmu, 2020
Algae glued to rattan and laminated wood
535 x 325 x 224 cm

Corpus Maris II, 2023
Algae glued to rattan and laminated wood
150 x 150 x 130 cm

Department of Seaweed
Studio space: Various prototypes, work samples and material
Algae veneer, rattan constructions, sketches, dried algae from various countries in Europe and Asia as well as Australia, pictorial material, reprint of the PhD Appendix, algae hanging on ropes, cutting mat, workshop utensils, drawings and collages

Courtesy Julia Lohmann Studio

Julia Lohmann is an artist and professor of contemporary design practices at Aalto University in Helsinki. For years, she has been researching the characteristics and living conditions of seaweed and kelp. Lohmann follows the idea of “Knowing, Acting, and Caring,” which she has worked out structurally in graphic models of the linked relationships between humans and nature. The artist represents an approach in which Cartesian dualism is overcome, and the element that binds humans and non-human beings is acknowledged. The focus here is on understanding the complex, mutual relationships of beings, all of which are part of an interdependent overall system.

Since 2007, Julia Lohmann has been using seaweed as the material for her large-scale sculptures and artistic work. Seaweed is a rapidly growing macroalgae that forms dense underwater forests or fields. They obtain all the necessary nutrients for their growth from seawater, the atmosphere and the sun. They absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, cleanse the oceans, and provide habitat and food for other organisms living there. They contribute to the prevention of coastal erosion by weakening the force of waves and serving as a natural barrier.

With every breath humans take on the planet, half of the oxygen comes from algae and plankton inhabiting the world’s oceans. For billions of years these photosynthetic organisms have been responsible for the unique composition of our planet’s atmosphere and so for all life upon it. In the oceans, they form an essential food source for numerous creatures, including humans.

For Bending the Curve, Julia Lohmann has conceived a large room installation with several elements. Corpus Maris II (Latin for “sea body” or ” sea creature”) is a sculpture hanging from the ceiling, the shape of which resembles a jellyfish body. Hidaka Ohmu stands in the center of the room. This sculpture is a walk-through, organically shaped pavilion, whose shell is made of semi-transparent seaweed stretched over a lightweight rattan frame. The giant sculpture is installed on walls, virtually seeming to grow out of them. Passing through it brings the visitor to another room, reminiscent of a studiolo. This space is dedicated to the investigation of art, societal and aesthetic insights, and the properties of algae, and has been called the Department of Seaweed by Lohmann.

These works exemplify the process-oriented and experimental way in which Lohmann works with seaweed, using art to shed light on overarching questions about human actions in and in relation to ecosystems.

The title Hidaka Ohmu establishes a connection to Japan, where the artist began her research on marine plants years ago. In Japan, kelp has been harvested for generations and is an integral part of the culture and nutrition there. “Hidaka” is a region on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, whence the kelp originates. “Ohmu” is the name of insect-like fantasy creatures from the Japanese animated film “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” (1984) by author Hayao Miyazaki. In his story, the Ohmu protect the forest and restore the ecosystems of soil and water that humans have disrupted.

The central idea of “Wabi Sabi” in Japanese culture is of great significance to Lohmann’s work. Impermanence, imperfection and transience are seen not as limitations but as potentials for future existence. In terms of form, Lohmann repeatedly incorporates the unfinished, the non finito, into her works, which in the “Wabi Sabi” idea emphasizes openness to all that is becoming, to the ambiguous, to the realm of speculation.

In the context of art, craft, and design, this means appreciating the qualities of materials in their natural imperfection and leaving them in a way that they remain undistorted. Their thoughtful design should activate the viewer’s imagination, creating space for ambiguity.

The works change over time. Humidity, temperature, and light transform the texture and color of the algae stems and as a result, Lohmann’s sculptures. The plant stalks dry out and contract as part of their natural process. The artist treats the kelp with linseed oil to keep it flexible enough to stretch over the rattan structure. While fragile materials have short molecular chains, soft materials have long ones. In wet seaweed, the molecular chains are linked by the water. During the drying process of the algae, the water evaporates, the molecular chains shorten, and the fibers contract. To stretch the algae in a way similar to leather, Lohmann has developed a method to retain sufficient water in the hydrophilic material. Seaweed and rattan provide mutual support: seaweed provides traction, and rattan stability.

The color of the seaweed also undergoes continuous change in Lohmann’s works. The seaweed leaves of Hidaka Ohmu and Corpus Maris II, originally green due to chlorophyll, are now seen in the exhibition in a warm, translucent yellow.

In the proportions of her sculptures, Lohmann follows the size of harvested algae stems. Seaweed, especially Saccharina Japonica, can reach lengths of up to six meters and widths of forty centimeters in just one year. Lohmann tries to use the marine plants as a whole length of material to maintain the appearance and impression of their natural form underwater.

Lohmann endeavors to alienate the biological material as little as possible. She views seaweed not as a raw material but as a living, process-based, autonomous organism with which she interacts. The artist would like to preserve its properties and render its “Seaweedness” visible. She attributes agency to the living being that is seaweed; it is not lifeless, not passive, and so not just a provider of material but a living being with which humans engage in a relationship through their actions.

As a result, the sculptural installations are not just surfaces perceivable through external observation. Hidaka Ohmu can be walked through. Visitors enter its interior through passages into the sculpture’s belly. Mirror surfaces in the passageway create duplications and illusions. Inside, there is the scent of the sea and the many different algae that Lohmann displays, translating her workspace into the exhibition space. Various prototypes, work samples, and seaweed in its raw form and various drying stages are on display. Ongoing rattan constructions, sketches, mind maps, and a printout of Lohmann’s doctoral thesis provide insight into her research and production practices. It is not the finished, museum-like work, but the process, the work, the researching, and the tactile aspect that captivate Lohmann.

Lohmann works within a “community of practice,” collaborating with people from various disciplines. She practices the method of co-speculation: anyone can provide imagination and associative power and so contribute to possible future forms of caring for and acting with seaweed. Lohmann has conducted numerous Department of Seaweed (DoS) prototyping workshops at universities, cultural institutions, and even for political bodies like the European Parliament. In 2020, Lohmann was invited by the World Economic Forum in Davos to showcase Hidaka Ohmu.

To ensure that the knowledge generated and research results on seaweed continue to expand, yet remain accessible to the public, Julia Lohmann was guided by the Creative Commons (CC) licensing system: all contributions and research results created as part of the Department of Seaweed are subject to CC license conditions. The dissemination and use of research results are encouraged provided they align with the principles of sustainability.

Lohmann is part of an approach that demands reciprocity as a principle of interaction with others. Emerging from indigenous knowledge and actions, now increasingly woven into Western thinking, reciprocity is the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit. Reciprocity is not limited to fellow humans but requires a mindful approach to all fellow living beings. Lohmann’s Department of Seaweed represents a regenerative design research practice that embodies an ethical stance.

450 million years ago, evolutionary processes led to the first plants evolving on land from marine algae. Marine plankton, the primordial organism capable of photosynthesis, released oxygen into the atmosphere billions of years ago. This laid the foundation for the development of more complex life forms on Earth. Algae are the origin of the plant world on Earth. Various disciplines in bioeconomics increasingly research algae and seaweed today. These plants grow rapidly and have the ability to filter heavy metals and pollutants from water. They can be cultivated and harvested in an environmentally friendly way. Known as the “sea bamboo,” seaweed can also filter harmful excess nutrients from agricultural runoff (nitrate) and fish excrement, stop coastal erosion, and promote coastal area regeneration. Grown near fish farms and industrial facilities, seaweed can filter water and at the same time be harvested as a renewable material. Thanks to its texture, seaweed is increasingly used as an eco-friendly alternative to plastics, textiles, or leather-like materials that require no harmful processing.

A holistic approach that considers the entirety of ecosystems and all beings participating in them may potentially lead to more sustainable economies and communities in the future. The approaches to dealing with seaweed are promising, but sustainability largely depends on careful use during harvesting, processing and utilization. Growing awareness suggests that a fundamental change in human attitudes toward our fellow beings and resources is needed. The survival of humans is intertwined with that of seaweed and all other inhabitants of the oceans. For Julia Lohmann, working with seaweed symbolizes a non-exploitative approach to nature. Her works thus create spaces for thought that can inspire concrete actions and attitudes in various disciplines.

Julia Lohmann (*1977, Hildesheim, DE) is a German artist who questions ethical and material value systems that influence our relationship with non-human beings. She currently holds the position of Professor of Practice in the Department of Arts, Design & Architecture at Aalto University in Helsinki (FI), where she lives and works. Prior to this, she was a professor at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg (DE), a Project Associate Professor at the Kyoto Institute of Technology (JP), and taught at numerous art schools in the UK, Europe, and Asia. She earned her PhD at the Royal College of Art, London (GB) with her project “The Department of Seaweed – Co-speculative Design in a Museum Residency,” which she realized at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (GB) in 2013. She leads and is a member of various research consortia and has received numerous awards for her work and research. Her works are part of prestigious public and private collections and have been exhibited in institutions such as the 23rd Biennale of Sydney (AU), the MIT Museum in Cambridge (US), the Museum of Modern Art in New York (US), the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York (US), the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein (DE), the Centre Pompidou in Metz (FR), MAK Wien (AT), the Triennale di Milano (IT), as well as at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven (NL) and the World Economic Forum in Davos (CH). She is also the editor of numerous academic publications and has given many lectures.