Jaffna Lab
Seaweed

Seaweed is far more than a simple marine vegetation abundantly growing in the seas around Sri Lanka — it is a powerhouse of unique properties with immense potential. Unlike land plants, seaweed requires no freshwater, fertilizer, or fertile soil to thrive, growing faster than terrestrial crops. Its natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide and excess nutrients makes it a vital tool for mitigating ocean acidification and eutrophication.

Rich in bioactive compounds like alginates, seaweed has many underutilized healing properties. From regenerating marine ecosystems to replacing fossil-based materials, seaweed’s versatility makes it a promising blue resource to explore further.

The lab invites participants to work with seaweed at the intersection of biology, design, and architecture. Through hands-on experimentation — growing, molding, observing, and co-creating with seaweed systems — participants will explore what it means to design alongside a living organism that does not follow instructions. What kinds of forms, structures, and ways of thinking become possible when growth itself is the method and structure? What happens when the material has agency? What kinds of designs emerge when control is shared with a living system?

Working with local partners, the lab will examine how seaweed networks can support circular, low-impact production and regenerative material systems. It will also open broader questions about material agency, ecological thinking, and alternative design philosophies grounded in the evolving relationship between humans and living matter.