Sophia Hatzikos
Reincarnated
I work with ephemeral materials that are low-impact economically speaking but high-impact in terms of their aesthetic and sensorial qualities. I chop, grind, and process this organic matter, and using a variety of natural binders like agar, pectin, collagen, I transform seeds, pits, rinds, and shells into malleable material. Through iterative experimentation with improvised laboratory equipment, I search for possibilities in discarded material. Finding harmonious new material combinations allows me to explore the value of waste products and to reimagine their potential as natural resources. I am interested in how untapped waste resources might have a second life. I am optimistic about the potential of food by-products as we face uncertainty in current production systems and food distribution in an unpredictable future with strained resources.
The primary material used in Reincarnated is agar, a type of seaweed that is used for bacteria cultures. As the pieces dried, some picked up air bacteria and other discolorations. However, many of the colors come from seeds, pits, and shell remnants of food. The objects captured are a hundred percent biodegradable; this is important as it speaks to the possibility that art can be made with a reduced environmental impact. The agar was taken from the sea, dried, rehydrated, dried. As the wafers float in blue there is a calming sense through the visualization of the agar material originally from the sea, returns to its former state. These harmonious material combinations visible in this photographic series allows for the value of waste products to be reimagined.