Sea Silk

In collaboration with Maja Lund Hvidtfeldt since 2020

Currently in process: https://dkod.dk/byssus-med/ opening September 27th 2024




Byssus cleaning, Hanstholm 2022





Mulberry silk dyed with algea



Byssus are threads of small hairs secreted from the mussel's foot, with which it attaches itself to rocks, to each other or to the seabed. When the sea is agitated, the quantity and quality of the threads increase. If the mussel needs to move to a more favorable location, it detaches from the ground and wanders.

The starting point for the artists' collaboration is the Sardic tradition of spinning sea silk from byssus from the Mediterranean clam Pinna nobilis. Environmental destruction and climate change have caused disease and mass death in the species, which is endangered and red-listed by the IUCN. The lack of materials also threatens the survival of the craft.






Byssus in ceramic shell, Gothenburg 2021



Photo: Malwa Grabowska/Hipermania, Carina Peterson