Seaweed Biofilm

Seaweed Biofilm is an ongoing material exploration, begun in 2021 and developed through Becoming Algae — a research project of Sabin Collective, led by Talisa Dwiyani — that follows locally available seaweed from raw matter to powder, to liquid, to delicate cast sheets.

The process is closer to cooking than manufacturing: Gracilaria or agar, a plant-based plasticiser, water, heat, casting, and controlled drying. The sheets have become wallets, earpieces, and artistic samples — but the research treats instability as subject matter, not failure. Colour fading, mould, insect activity, and decay are studied as material behaviour, blurring the line between creation and decomposition.

The work sits deliberately between chemistry, craft, art, and ecological reflection, alongside the related piece A Puppet from a Sea, which uses seaweed to explore marine imbalance, Indonesian seaweed practices, and Javanese mythology. The research has been presented at Sustainable Fashion Fest 2024 and through the Rumah Hujan Art Residency.