seaweed pressing process

We are often asked about the specifics of the seaweed pressing process, so here’s a quick overview.

Andy spent several months experimenting with different methods and materials, before he was happy our finished product.  Our process is very different to the process of preserving seaweed specimens for scientific reasons.  The aim of our whole seaweed pressing process is to fuse the seaweed with the paper.   Andy needed to work out how to let the alginate seep out of the seaweed without breaking the cell structure. The seaweed pressing process explained below is the result of months of trial and error.

Once we have foraged the seaweed from the beach, Andy carefully washes it to remove all the debris and sand. He then places it in a shallow water bath to help him see how it floats so he can decide how best to arrange it for the press.

Using high quality watercolour paper, he fully submerges the paper in the water by sliding it underneath the seaweed. He arranges the seaweed with paintbrushes and uses the brushes to tease out each individual frond to find an arrangement which displays the seaweed at its best.

He gently lifts the wet watercolour paper out of the bath and places it onto an absorbent cloth. He then covers the paper and seaweed with parchment paper, this forces the moisture down through the paper and into the cloth. He places all three layers into the press and applies pressure. The pressings can take anywhere between two days and six weeks, depending on the cell structure and texture of the seaweed.

Andy checks the seaweed pressings daily. He knows the pressing is ready when the seaweed is completely fused with the paper so he can no longer feel any lumps or bumps. It’s a very tactile process.

From beach…

to tray…

to paper.