Beautiful Fan Weed | Portia Knight

Beautiful Fan Weed (Metacallophyllis laciniata) Crovie, Scotland

archival lightly textured Seaweed pressings are captured at their peak, with pin sharp resolution and colour reproduction. Images are printed at the same scale as the original pressings

May 2022

A4 (210mm x 297mm)

Giclee print Limited edition of 20

Location and date of pressing on front Identification card included

Paper - St Cuthbert's Mill, 100% cotton

Location UK
free UK postage included

My work is born from a series of developing relationships and connections. Our home on the North East coast of Scotland is a refuge where my interest in seaweed grew from studying the Victorian art of seaweed pressing and daily walks along the tideline. The complex variety of colour, texture and form was a revelation that I feel compelled to explore and share. Wild materials are seasonal, and even in Scotland, suitable specimens are hard won. But they convey a vital and intimate connection to place and process.

Environmental awareness is key, and in subverting the common perception of seaweed as a slimy, smelly tangle to be avoided, I’m aligning myself with not only those shore hunters of the past, but also the people currently looking to seaweed for solutions to climate change and the problems of sustainability. I use drift seaweed (free floating and detached), and try to tread lightly, only taking what I need. I don't use any fixatives or varnishes, and when printing, choose environmentally friendly inks. I hope that by showing people the natural beauty of seaweed, I can, in some small way, encourage them to care about the wider environment that it grows in.