This series was born from observation and discovery. When I found a strand of sea kelp lying on the rocks of the Jurassic Coast during a beach walk, I was entranced by its colours and texture and started doing some research. Saccharina latissima, commonly called sugar kelp has a long narrow, undivided blade that can grow up to 5 metres long and 20 centimetres wide. The central band is dimpled, while the margins are smoother with a wavy edge, this is to cause greater water movement around the blades to aid in gas exchange. Saccharina latissima is an ecologically important system. It forms forests that serve as a habitat for animals and it is a primary producer, delivering plant material to the coastal food web. I almost immediately decided I would press it. It was a long journey back to London with the kelp safely stored in my water bottle. It was my first time pressing seaweed and I knew it was different and more technical than pressing flowers. I pressed the strand on a piece of A3 art paper and left it for a couple weeks before finally revealing a completely 2D version that to my joy had maintained all its original colours, with all its grooves flattened on the piece of paper.

​

Photographs from this series have been exhibited in London in 2022 and have been published by independent press based in Bristol in 2023.