This project has been dedicated to finding a biodegradable alternative for ink making, exclusively using Icelandic sources as main ingredients. The idea is to explore Icelandic nature both in search of ingredients, and just as importantly, to seek inspiration for an attainable local colour palette represented in the inks. 

As many know, Icelandic nature offers some unique colours, with each season giving a completely different aesthetic colour range. The harsh weather conditions on this remote island and constant seasonal changes make it a little harder to gather material to use in addition to limiting the process, time and colour wise. That being said, it is simply a matter of how you look at the challenge, because this also provides opportunities.

In this design project I demonstrate an outcome of biodegradable inks made from Icelandic blueberries, crowberries, and lichens. The colours in the ink transforms over time. In the process of making these inks I learned to embrace the element of their inherent impermanence and the interesting creative possibilities that are a result of working with living materials. 

Being in a constant state of flux means that everything is constantly changing and nothing is permanent, just as in nature where all things are imperfect and ever changing.

This is an on-going project, where I will continue the process of making the biodegradable inks using a wider selection of ingredients, which will be gathered in the coming summer and further developed and expanded. My aim with this project is to revive interest in the possibilities and features of these local materials, and to find more ways to implement their transient nature in creative printing and artwork. 

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