FELTED ALGAE

Around the shorelines of the Helsinki area in Finland, eutrophication causes excessive growth of this type of algae. Removing the algae restores the balance in the ecosystem (Mihranyan, 2011). The algae are very soft, which instantly gives them a wool-like feel. Therefore they can also be treated the same way as wool. By using bio-friendly dish soap they can be felted, similar to wool. However, when using it without additives, it will dry up like a very thin and fragile layer.

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Felting is a process of pressing fibres together to make a dense, non-woven
fabric. Wet felting is generally done using water and dish soap, after which
you start rubbing the fibres. The most common material to felt is wool, however this technique can be applied to many fibre like materials.

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How it is used:

1. Collect the green algae ‘Cladophora glomerata’ near the shorelines in Helsinki;

2. Rinse the collected algae;

3. Spread the algae over the foot/last;

4. 'Felt' the algae by using a bio-friendly dish soap;

5. Dry in the sun.