This work came about during my residency at Art56° in June 2026, somewhat to my surprise. I found large amounts of dead eelgrass and discovered in it both a beautiful material and a hint of what was happening in the fjord. I also practised Japanese marbling (suminagashi) during the residency using water from Ringkøbing Fjord. In the flowing ink, I saw how even the slightest disturbance could break the perfect circle.
This experience led me to twine eelgrass into loose ropes and recreate the broken arches from the marbling. For me, it refers to the ecological imbalance in the fjord, where algal blooms and accumulations of dead eelgrass testify to disturbed cycles. Twisting ropes of eelgrass becomes an attempt to bind together what has fallen apart.
Notes from my residency sketchbook:
I perceive the movements of the fjord’s waves through Japanese marbling.
Here, the impact of a human is significant – a single strand of hair is breaks the perfect circle.
Clipped and fractured arcs emerge, still embracing a missing centre.
The algae bloom in the fjord’s yellow water.
I hear that the fish are few, and that the small ones that are still caught die from oxygen deprivation in the holding nets.
I hear that surface water is being discharged into the fjord.
I hear that there are huge piles of dead eelgrass all along the fjord.
Connections have been broken; something has fallen apart.
I find washed-up eelgrass, incredibly beautiful in many shades.
I sit in the sun and twist eelgrass rope in the old way.
Trying to repair and stitch something together again.