Dr Kate Scardifield transformed over a tonne of algae biomass and oyster shell waste into a provocative installation as part of FREE/STATE, the 2022 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art. Working with biomass collected from aquaculture industries in NSW and QLD, Scardifield produced a novel biomasonry material with potential for architectural application and for possible use in building and construction.
In the exhibition, Scardifield’s work gives carbon dioxide (CO2) a physical presence in the form of a fluted column constructed of bio-bricks that stands nearly 3 metres tall. Her installation also includes loaned algae specimens from the State Herbarium of South Australia, which are a crucial resource in conservation biology and the environmental management initiatives underway across the region.
Dr Scardifield is a Co-Director of the Material Ecologies Design Lab in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building at UTS. In 2021 she led a cross Faculty project investigating the possibilities of algae and biotechnology for the development and application of biomaterials in architecture and design, supported by the Cross Faculty Funding Scheme.
Image #1
- Urgent is the Rhythm 2022
- Biomasonry composite (algae biomass and oyster shell waste)
- Photo: Robin Hearfield
Image #2
- Urgent is the Rhythm 2022
- (Installation view) Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia.
- Algae biomass, oyster shell waste, ratchet strap, form ply.
- Photo: Saul Steed
2022 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: FREE/STATE was held at the Art Gallery of South Australia from 4 March to 5 June 2022. The project was supported by DAB, the Climate Change Cluster (C3) in the Faculty of Science at UTS, the State Herbarium of South Australia, Appellation Oysters and Pacific Bio Australia, and assisted by the Australian Government through the Australian Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
