Algae Paper from Finistère

Collection
The New York Public Library, NYC

More than just an interest for marine plants, this edition reflects Julien Villaret's taste for DIY and experimentation when it comes to book-making. The artist book is a minimalist formal proposal to transpose an unsuitable natural material into the world of books and publishing.

The pages of each book have been produced by hand from seaweed harvested on the Brittany coast. The color of the paper sheets - green, red or dark brown - represents each family of macro-algae, and is produced following the precepts of a master papermaker. Such Seaweed species as Ulva, Porphira (Nori), Dulse or Kombu have been used in the production of these sheets of paper. They are a very unstable material who still reacts to the light and humidity.

The book cover, screen-printed in 6 colors, uses ALG Bifurcaria typeface, inspired by the seaweed of the same name and developed by the artist together with Taiwanese typographer Jonathan Shi. Binding solution has been developed in collaboration with Krater Books with the idea to let the seaweed paper extend freely beyond the format of the book, turning it into a living, organic object, ready to begin colonizing its immediate environment.

Finally Algae Paper from Finistère is also a tribute to the work of the first amateur marine botanists, the Crouan Brothers, who began collecting and documenting seaweed in Brittany in beautiful handmade books (Exsiccata) at the end of the 19th century. Julien Villaret's approach thus follows in the footsteps of these early explorers, whose remarkable work combined scientific rigor with aesthetic concerns.

Algae Paper from Finistère
Julien Villaret, 2024

150 x 210 mm, 10pp.

Silk-screen printed fabric hard cover + 10 algae paper sheets (Ulva, Nori, Dulse or Kombu)
Font by Julien Villaret and Jonathan Shi: ALG Bifurcaria

Edition of 10 + 2AP
Each book is unique and packaged with a cardboard display in a conservation box.