Cork-based couple make stunning art out of seaweed 

A WEST Cork-based couple are using their unique art to introduce people to the power of seaweed and how it can positively impact the world.

Orla Twomey and Armand Tessier, who live in Ballineen, use foraged seaweed as an art material to shift people’s perception of it from being a smelly disturbance to seeing it as a nutrient-dense food source, that doesn’t need fresh water or fertiliser to grow, as well as having a range of other valuable functions.

Orla, who works as a garden centre manager for Bandon Co-op, fell into pressing seaweed by chance when she saw seaweed art available online from the UK. She was blown away by the beauty of the artwork and inspired to give it a go herself.

Shortly after meeting Armand in 2021, she showed him some examples of the pressings and he became hooked instantly.

Last November, they launched their own business, Farraige, selling prints and pressings in markets and shops, and they also host workshops to educate the public about the potential of seaweed.

“Our fascination grew from teaching ourselves the art of pressing and the discovery of new species every time we foraged, as well as the sheer visual beauty of it,” said Orla.

The seaweed comes in so many different colours, shapes and textures, sometimes that we didn’t imagine could exist in nature.

“Some of the specimens we foraged are so bright that they look almost fluorescent, especially some of the pink and green ones. The shapes are very diverse, sometimes they would look quite close to terrestrial plants and other times they’re far from anything we know.

“All of these combined make for truly beautiful specimens that show their full beauty when pressed on paper,” added Armand, who is originally from France but living in Cork for the past eight years and works in senior customer service for Apple.

However, the couple were also intrigued by the potential seaweed has to change the world, and recognised the role their art could play in getting this message out there.

“What people might know is that seaweed is used as a natural bio-stimulant. What they might not know, however, is that seaweed is emitting oxygen and trapping Co2, and it is also now used to make bioplastics that can revolutionise the packaging industry to make it sustainable.

“It’s also considered as the food of the future as it’s rich in nutrients and proteins. We eat seaweed mostly as a condiment to replace salt but we tried a few recipes and here too it’s trial and error. We tried delicious seaweed salads and we enjoy fried dulse,” said Armand.

Ireland could be a big actor in the seaweed industry due to its coastline, they say.

“The natural potential of the island to grow seaweed is enormous. Ireland has 3,172 kilometres of coastline which is a huge coast/area ratio. But what is missing in Ireland is not the supply but the demand. Due to the tragic correlation between the famine and the seaweed as food, this source of nutrients and proteins has been left aside, even though it is not only healthy and ecological to grow but also delicious.

“Seaweed doesn’t need fresh water to grow and doesn’t need any fertiliser. Growing food on earth for everybody will become an issue in the future and seaweed offers a great solution, it’s time to adapt our consumption habits. 

Ireland could then become a big supplier for Europe, however, for now, the farmers mostly export to Asia where it is considered a delicacy.

“We would like to see people start to recognise the true potential of these beautiful plants. Seaweed already has many uses in the farming and food industry, medicine, and we’re sure that many other discoveries are to come,” said Orla.

The couple are part of the Global Seaweed Coalition, which is a global partnership established by Lloyd’s Register Foundation in partnership with the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS: National Scientific Research Centre) to oversee the safety and sustainability of the seaweed industry as it scales up.

“The idea behind the coalition is to structure the industry but also create a community where innovations are shared,” said Orla.

They were also invited to be part of the first Algae Awareness Summit, organised by the European Commission in Paris at the start of October.

“The event was a great way to show that Ireland will play its part in this economy and ecology of the future. We were there to show that seaweed is beautiful and that is the first step to introduce seaweed in our daily lives. Often, people thought the pressings were drawings or paintings. When we told them it’s a real seaweed they were extremely surprised and that’s our role – to be the first step into the seaweed world,” said Armand.

Farraige is available in Le Chéile Arts in Dunmanway, The Green Dot in Clonakilty, Forest and Flock in Bantry, and Adrigole Arts in Adrigole.

Follow farraigewestcork on Instagram for details of their upcoming workshops.

They will also be featuring at the Ballymaloe Christmas Fair this weekend.