Profile: Harley Goldman – Only Natural Design Competitions

Harley Goldman

RMIT University Melbourne

I am in my third year of studying mechanical engineering and industrial design at RMIT. I come from a maths and science background, having never studied design until I began university. But I've always had this unorthodox creativity within me. I'm not a good artist, but to me creativity stems far beyond drawing and painting. I have recently undertaken a bio-materials design studio as part of my degree, a perfect blend of science and design. I became fully engrossed within this world and plan to continue exploring it. I've always been passionate about textile waste and recycling. My personal practice is entrenched in sewing, and I have a huge passion for creating garments from unwanted textiles. I love the maths behind pattern making and understanding how each seam can be altered to achieve a specific fit/shape. I later discovered that some of my late relatives were dress makers and tailors, seeking refuge in Australia with just a sewing machine after WW2. Their passion skipped my parents generation and has accumulated in me (according to my parents). This passion for textiles, and specifically sustainable solutions in this industry directed me into the bio-textiles world. During this 14 week studio, I initially discovered the world of kelp leather. Through almost 200 experiments, I found kelp to be an incredibly versatile material, and continued to explore its characteristics further. Not only does kelp have incredible materiality, but also the potential to save our planet and solve the climate crisis we are currently faced with. The entire plant is photosynthetic, growing at a rate similar to bamboo, ultimately allowing it to sequester carbon at an unprecedent rate. This 14 week project quickly grew beyond kelp as a material now. Instead, kelp as a future material in all our lives, from cutlery to lampshades to adhesives. If kelp can become a greater part of our lives, it will incentivise the kelp farming industry and bring us closer to the 9% Tim Flannery speaks about in his 2019 TED talk. 9% of the ocean to be kelp farms, mathematically this will sequester over 50 gigatons of carbon per annum, the amount we as a species emit. KELP CAN SAVE OUR PLANET!

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LET'S TALK KELP

Category: Interior

Competitions: Home Competition 2025

LET’S TALK KELP is a project framed around the showcasing of kelp and its material versatility. With the goal of increasing its use in our future lives, ultimately incentivising kelp farming, an industry with the ability to help solve the climate crisis through mass carbon sequestration. Currently, the kelp industry is predicated around products that simply pulverise the kelp, processing it into anything from cattle feed to an additive in high-grade skin care products. Essentially, deeming kelp in its raw sheet form, to be of low value. This project is simply based upon the exploration of kelp’s materiality, its characteristics in different states and how it can be utilised as a future material in a broad spectrum of applications. Through 192 informed experiments performed across this project, three promising variations of kelp have arisen, MALLEABLE kelp, RIGID kelp and SELF-BINDING kelp. Each of the final artefacts explores one of these materials. Portraying the unique characteristics that each variation offers, despite all being birthed from the same raw material. THE CUTLERY: RIGID kelp that has been steam moulded. The SPOON is left in its natural unfinished state. The KNIFE has a natural wax coating and the FORK has been sanded to 1500 grit. Exploring different methods of finishing this plastic-like material. THE POUCH: MALLEABLE kelp that has been dyed red, hand stitched and had logos/text embossed. Exploring how this leather-like bio-textile can be used for packaging. THE LAMP SHADES: MALLEABLE kelp that has been coated in linseed oil, machine & hand sewn, and steam moulded. Exhibiting the beautiful manner in which kelp can diffuse light. The SELF-BINDING kelp has been exhibited between two scrap pieces of pine. Left to dry for 24 hours and can withstand over 5kg of pressure, maxing out the scale. A future competitor of PVA glue, completely derived from kelp. Crucially, these artefacts broaden the horizon of how we perceive kelp. No longer is it simply an additive to pre-existing products but instead its own useful and tangible material. This project is not about a singular product. Rather, it’s about a material and what can be done with it. It’s simple economics, attempting to increase our demand for kelp, requiring an equal increase in supply and hence incentivising industrial kelp farming. Here in which lies the potential for mass scale positive environmental impact. Tree planting for the ocean. CAN YOU HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN?