Saltwater Achemies

​From mermaid mythologies to macroalgae, agar bioplastic and sauerkraut brine, this workshop explores saltwater as an alchemical medium. Following a saltwater libation ritual, artist and researcher Meech Boakye will situate the group in the world of The Deep, a 2019 fantasy novella by Rivers Solomon that proposes that the descendants of pregnant slaves thrown overboard from slave ships became mermaids.

​Participants will have the opportunity to play with foraged salt and seaweed gathered on the Oregon Coast, comparing and contrasting the various shapes, textures, and flavors of macroalgae. Using dried spirulina and chlorella algae as pigments, participants will then be shown how to create a translucent, compostable biomaterial in a home kitchen using agar, a gelatin-like substance derived from seaweed. The session will end with hands-on play as participants preserve seasonal, local fruits and vegetables in a salty brine that encourages natural fermentation.

​Utilizing magical storytelling and play as tools, this workshop will consider the ways in which saltwater holds, grows, and transforms life.