Sargassum

Sargassum, also known as gulfweed or sea holly, originates from the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, a vast, floating expanse of seaweed that stretches thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean. This seaweed plays a crucial role in the ocean ecosystem, providing essential food sources and habitats for various marine species. However, its increasing presence, driven by both natural and human-induced climate change and activities, is degrading water quality and threatening to overwhelm marine environments by smothering habitats and entangling animals, among other harmful effects. In response, I use washed-ashore seaweed to brew a tea, which I then use to develop photograms for another project, Nocturnal Tracing. This process sparked a deeper curiosity about sargassum, leading me to bring the seaweed into the darkroom to magnify segments and photographically record their intricate structures and gas-filled berries. Each photograph is unique, with the date and location of collection noted.