seaweed-based biodegradable material shapes two interlocking tubular light installations

Seaweed-Based Material Constructs Slow2 Lighting Installation

Slow2 is the second work in the Slow Project series developed by designer Su Yang Choi through an auteur-driven approach to material and spatial design. First presented at Salone Satellite 2026 in Milan, the lighting installation reinterprets baramgil, a spatial principle from traditional Korean architecture in which doors and windows align along a single axis to create overlapping sightlines and natural ventilation paths.

Installed within a 388 × 200 × 288 cm exhibition booth, the project uses visual layering to extend the perceived depth of the space beyond its physical dimensions. The installation measures approximately 150 × 55 × 160 cm and is composed of two vertically interlocking circular structures arranged in repetitive sequences. Rather than relying on physical expansion, the design generates spatial depth through transparency, repetition, and the continuity of visual lines.

The project is structured around two interconnected themes: material and form. The material system is based on a biodegradable substance developed by the designer from seaweed-derived agar without synthetic chemical additives. Within the Slow Project series, this material is positioned not as a substitute for industrial materials but as an independent material language with its own formal and aesthetic characteristics. Alongside the seaweed-based material, the installation incorporates LED lighting, a steel armature, insulating tubing, adhesive, and natural pigments. The material composition reflects an approach that combines biodegradable components with industrial fabrication systems while maintaining continuity between structural performance and visual expression.

all images by Francesco Russo

Seaweed, Steel, and Natural Pigments form a Layered Installation

The formal organization of Slow2 draws from spatial principles observed in traditional Korean hanok architecture. In baramgil, aligned openings create layered perspectives in which successive spaces remain visually connected. The installation by designer Su Yang Choi translates this principle into a linear composition formed through repeated circular elements. Circles approximately 50 centimeters in diameter are positioned at 30-centimeter intervals across 4.5 stacked repetitions, allowing light, shadow, and visibility to overlap through the open structure.

The construction method references the stacking logic of the Ten-story Stone Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple from the Goryeo period. Layers of seaweed-based material are wrapped around a central metal framework, producing stratified linear textures that recall the accumulation of stone tiers in pagoda architecture. Color is introduced through edible pigments extracted from paprika and gardenia. The installation transitions from the material’s natural tone at the base to deeper red hues toward the upper sections. The use of natural pigments reinforces continuity between material composition, structural form, and the project’s biodegradable framework.

Presented as part of the ongoing Slow Project series, Slow2 examines how biodegradable materials can operate simultaneously as structural matter, visual system, and spatial medium within contemporary design practice.

Slow2 reinterprets Korean spatial principles through layered light structures

aligned circular forms create overlapping sightlines through the structure

visual layering extends the perceived depth of the exhibition booth

seaweed-derived agar forms the project’s biodegradable material system

two vertically interlocking circular structures define the installation

light and shadow overlap through the open linear framework

natural pigments introduce gradual color transitions across the structure

paprika and gardenia pigments create a shift from neutral to deep red tones

layers of biodegradable material wrap around a central metal framework

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project info:

name: Slow2

designer: Su Yang Choi | @studio_suyangchoi

contributors: Sung Yun Jang, S R Choi

photographer: Francesco Russo | @francescorussophoto

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom