Practitioner
The Kelpery
Submitted as J M Lofley
New Zealand
“Kelp is medium and message.”
J M Lofley (The Kelpery) is a kelp artist, educator, forager, and writer. Blades and stipes are moulded, plaited, woven, and knitted to explore ocean narratives. She has exhibited in galleries in the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, including a permanent installation at the Grainstore Gallery on Harbour Street, Ōamaru. Facilitating workshops and developing learning resources about kelp and kelp forests is an ongoing journey of discovery about kelp, kelp forests, and our ocean origins. Her obsession with kelp began during covid when kelp came home.
Materials and process
The kelps of the Southern and Pacific Oceans are medium and message in her work. She moulds and sculpts blades and stipes to create objects, vessels, beads, pendants, and bangles imbued with the heave and rhythm of the ocean. It's like working with fluid wood and tangled knots. Kelp twists and buckles as it dries. It is a dynamic process of moving, moulding and reshaping. Her practice includes gathering beachcast kelp from the cold rocky Otago coast on the South East shore of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is then washed and prepped before the crafting begins. Sometimes strands of cut kelp, metal wire or leather thread are used to bind elements. Finally, a coat of wax or oil is applied. She also develops and delivers kelp-centric learning experiences and resources for pre-school, primary and secondary students, and adults. Learning about the ocean is central to her creative practice.
Practice areas
Open to
Looking for
- Commissions or buyers
- Collaborators
- Funding or residencies
- Exhibition or retail space
Can offer others
Workshops, education and communication resources about kelp, craft and technique,
Work
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