Algae-based material Constructs argon2 lighting installation
Slow2 is the second project in the Slow Project series developed by designer Su Yang Choi through a creator-driven approach to material and spatial design. It was first presented in Salone Satellite 2026 in Milanthe lighting installation reinterprets baramgil, a spatial principle from the traditional one Korean architecture in which doors and windows are aligned along a single axis to create overlapping sight lines and natural ventilation paths.
Installed in dimensions 388 × 200 × 288 cm report pavilion, the project uses visual layering to extend the perceived depth of the space beyond its physical dimensions. The installation measures approximately 150 × 55 × 160 cm and consists of two vertically interconnected circular structures arranged in repeating rows. Rather than relying on physical extension, the design creates spatial depth through the transparency, repetition and continuity of visual lines.
The project is structured around two interrelated themes: material and form. The material system is based on a biodegradable substance developed by the designer from seaweed– agar produced without synthetic chemical additives. Within the Slow Project series, this material it is positioned not as a substitute for industrial materials but as an independent material language with its own formal and aesthetic characteristics. Alongside the algae-based material, the facility incorporates LEDs lighting, steel rebar, insulating pipe, glue and natural pigments. The material composition reflects an approach that combines biodegradable components with industrial manufacturing systems while maintaining continuity between structural performance and visual expression.
all images from Francesco Russo
Algae, steel and natural pigments form a multi-layered installation
Slow2’s formal organization is based on the spatial principles seen in traditional Korean hanok architecture. In the baramgil, aligned openings create multi-layered perspectives in which successive spaces remain visually connected. The installation from designer Su Yang Choi translates this principle into a linear composition formed through repeated circular elements. Circles approximately 50cm in diameter are placed at 30cm intervals in 4.5 stacked repeats, allowing light, shade and visibility to overlap through the open structure.
The construction method refers to the stacking logic of the ten-story stone pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple from the Goryeo period. Layers of seaweed-based material are wrapped around a central metal frame, producing layered linear textures reminiscent of the stacking of stone layers in pagoda architecture. The color is introduced through edible pigments extracted from paprika and gardenia. The installation transitions from the natural tone of the material at the base to deeper red hues towards the upper sections. The use of natural pigments reinforces the continuity between the composition of the material, the structural form and the biodegradable framework of the work.
Presented as part of the ongoing Slow Project series, Slow2 examines how biodegradable materials can function simultaneously as structural material, visual system and spatial medium in contemporary design practice.
Slow2 reinterprets Korean spatial principles through layered light structures
aligned circular forms create overlapping visual lines through the structure
Visual layering extends the perceived depth of the exhibition stand
Agar derived from algae is the biodegradable material system of the project
