Algae at the interface

The human–algae relationship is ancient, but it is entering a new phase. Seaweeds, particularly, have provided cultural and practical inspiration for thousands of years, as food, in poetry, literature, textiles, through education, uses in medicine, engineering, bioplastics, building materials and in the arts in the broadest sense, including the visual arts. Whilst many of these uses are taken for granted or, in contrast, might engender new fascinating and inspirational ways of thinking about the natural world, the concept of bringing together science and art has provided its share of controversy. For example, in 2002, the developmental biologist Lewis Wolpert wrote an article (Wolpert, Citation2002) in which he considered that the current vogue for bringing the visual arts and science together was based on a false premise. He thought that art did not help with understanding how the world works and instead bringing the two disciplines together trivialized them both. Nevertheless, the cross-disciplinary approach persisted and there is a growing synergy between art and science. For example, where the language of science and policy may often be perceived as turgid and inaccessible, art-science visuals, produced through collaborations of the disciplines, are increasingly recognized as having the potential to create a common understanding, notably in relation to breaking down barriers to engage with local needs and pressing environmental and societal issues such as climate change (Olazabal et al., Citation2024).