Having worked with textiles, I saw that the water soluble bio-polymer film made by the Centre for Marine Bio-products Development (CMBD) from marine algae would work well as a fabric stabiliser. Soluble films are useful supports for piecing delicate or unruly materials. The films are then washed away.

This quick experiment to test the film showed that the polymer dissolves easily without disrupting the delicate fabric matrix.

A soluble seaweed polymer in a  liquid spray form might be used as a fabric stiffener for industrial application and/or to hold shape in textile forms.

Moving my thoughts to the human body as tissue to be shaped and mended; soluble sprays, threads, fibres, films and scaffolds could be developed for bodily tissue support and healing as well as drug or nutrient delivery.

Together with bio-technologist Peng Su at CMBD we discussed future pathways for working with soluble and non-soluble matrices. Current research is toward unlocking the natural characteristics of seaweeds in order to understand them.  We aim to chemically manipulate the raw materials for our own purposes in the most sustainable way possible.