Violins from seaweed!

Picture: Brodie Weeding

Two Tasmanians have recently succeeded in making violins from kelp!

After hearing musicians Emily Sheppard and Yyang Ng play a composition inspired by the flowing movements of seaweed. Mr Bodley joked with Ms Sheppard about making a violin from kelp, but the joke became a challenge.

So, Mr Bodley and his long time friend Mr Henderson collected kelp washed ashore at Marrawah on Tasmania’s West Coast and set about experimenting. They first needed to work out how to dry the kelp without it shrinking and cracking.  Their process eventually involved both heating and freezing the kelp whilst keeping it flat. They ended up with a flexible material a bit like plastic. Mr Bodley then made a violin by stitching his pieces together, whilst Mr Henderson used screws and glue to create his. Both were successful.

Emily Sheppard has now played the violins several times, and she is impressed with the result. She has since been invited to perform on a kelp violin at the 2022 International Seaweed Symposium in Hobart next February.

Read more about this story and hear a recording of Emily playing a kelp violin.