rainforests of the north is a research-based design project by the class of 2022 product design students of IUA. The project is the result of, Rendezvous, a course led by Tinna Gunnarsdóttir and is a part of a two-year initiative named “Algae for Design-Led Transition towards a Blue Bio-Economy” sponsored by Nordplus Horizontal.It’s common knowledge that Iceland lacks woodlands. Considering Icelandic forests in a broader context, it becomes clear that Iceland is surrounded by “forests” of kelp. At the beginning of this project, we didn’t view algae as majestic, but rather as slimy, smelly, and uninteresting. After three months of traversing the world of algae, we’ve come to realize their innate beauty, opportunities and profound fragility. As a collective, we realized that the Icelandic kelp forests are of cultural and ecological importance but how can we prevent human ignorance from overstepping nature’s limits? Our goal with the project is to encourage respect for algae, just as Icelanders have fought to preserve the mosslands. By exploring the realm of algae: getting to know their differences and embracing them, our hope is that with more knowledge and discourse, our coexistence can be strengthened. In the words of Guðmundur Páll Ólafsson, "You protect only what you love, you love only what you know. You know only what you are taught.”

 

Link to project website https://rainforestsofthenorth.cargo.site

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Exhibited in Reykjavík, Tallin and at Dutch Design Week