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.