If we don't know what the sea is hiding, how can we protect it? | curatorial tour of the Algae exhibition

Visit the Algae exhibition and learn about the possibilities of using Baltic resources to produce natural materials. During the tour, you will learn what bioplastic is, what ingredients it can be made of and how to make it at home.

Marine biodiversity creates a fascinating, unique ecosystem that requires our attention and protection. One strategy to do this is to think of the sea in terms of a material resource. But if we don't know what the sea is hiding, how can we protect it? Meet four species: the spotted fork, seagrass, Rangia cuneata and salmon shells, which are made from biodegradable materials.

The search is a continuation of the research by the exhibition curator, Blanka Byrwa, on the production of bioplastics based on foreign recipes and ingredients. The goal is to create the first material fully derived from local sources – from Gdynia.

The exhibition refers to the tradition of craftsmanship as well as contemporary manufacturing. Many of the raw materials we now consider waste were used by our ancestors. Fishskins can be successfully used to sew a wallet. We can make a roof covering from seagrass. Shells were used as a source of lime – the basis of building materials. Algae are widely used in the food industry and we can make them a substitute for plastic.

Materials:

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