“In the heart of the matter, there grows obscure vegetation; in the night of the matter, black flowers blossom. They already have their velvet and the formula of their scent.”
Gaston Bachelard - Water and dreams.
The Seaweed Ceremony started as a project on Material and living systems in 2021.
Getting to know the seaweed beings, beneath the surface of Tvarminne’s cold waters. Fostering a collective experience to get acquainted with other beings - human and non-humans - and learn to think with them.
While we invited ourselves underwater, I envisioned an immersive experience where Algae would be my guest on the surface. I pondered how to provide for her needs and create optimal conditions for her to thrive.
I am a practitioner of Chado, the Japanese traditional way of tea. Making tea is a gift, a selfless gesture of hospitality, providing shelter, food, drink, beauty, and time. A parenthesis of life where all elements harmoniously converge as equals.
Algae being became my shôkyaku, my first guest. I aimed to offer her the utmost conditions for her life and her death while the human guests would be the recipients of her benevolence.
Together, through a generous union of our senses, a silent dialogue will arise.
During this seaweed gathering, Human guests were served chlorella tea and sweets made from seaweed. Very simple objects were used, together with Japanese traditional Chado tools.
The algae were placed in a glass vessel. In a gesture of regeneration.
The tea bowls were crafted as an offering to the seaweed. Utilizing a new ceramic material specifically designed for the occasion. A material that would degrade in the sea, and reverse the damages inflicted upon the Baltic eco-system.
We called it “The Healer”.
My primary goal was to create an estrangement. A departure from the usual guided direction of our thoughts. In an environment of novelty, we were compelled to listen, smell, and observe—escaping the familiar patterns and embracing a new relationship with our surroundings. Open a discussion with the seaweed.
Moreover, this project became a means to infuse my knowledge of Chado with my own artistic experiences, harnessing its spiritual values without compromising its precepts.
Since its inception, several occurrences of the Seaweed Ceremony happened.
In Estonia, the Seaweed Ceremony became the name of the exhibition held for our international collaboration project on seaweed. I curated a collection of artefacts crafted by my fellow students. They were displayed in the space, after being performed during seaweed gatherings for two days.
In February 2023, the Seaweed Ceremony became MONOYU - 藻の湯, The Way of Seaweed. I was invited by Julia Lohmann to her Seaweed pavilion, Hidaka Ohmu. There, I performed a "temae" (tea form) inspired by chabako, utilizing traditional Japanese artefacts alongside cherished objects provided by Julia. These implements told stories through her voice, narrating her journey and encounter with humans and seaweed.
The research regarding the new material discovered through this project is still ongoing. This exploration led me to delve into ceramics, continuously experimenting with "The Healer" and fine-tuning the recipe to achieve a range of fascinating effects. I am preparing to publish an overview of these findings in 2024.
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