Lichen Kelp is an artist, performer and curator whose work investigates ephemeral biological processes and the transubstantiation of chemical reactions. Melting, subliming, fruiting, flowering, decomposing, bubbling and shapeshifting are explored through field work, photography and live experiments emerging from liquid landscapes. Performing as part of Kelping with Dylan Martorell, she creates haptic and multi-sensorial unfolding scenographies, with soundscapes derived from electronic ikebana; local botanicals and handbuilt electronics as well as hydrophones, water percussion and ice-based touch-sensitive instruments. Her curatorial projects including Seaweed Appreciation Society international (SASi) and the travelling residency program; Forum of Sensory Motion as well as her performance picnic series MULCH seek to build temporal, improvised and multi-species communities around shared research topics including marine algae, cuttlefish mating ceremonies and plant cultivation. Creating enhanced experiences through bio-mutual gatherings and live, often improvised collective actions, these projects provide a community engaged model of psycho-ecological exploration.


Transience, improvisation and collaboration form the basis of Dylan Martorell’s music-based art practice. Housed within the conceptual framework of musical diaspora, his work is drawn to ways in which music travels through space and is affected by changes in geography, climate, culture and materials to become an agent for cross-cultural reciprocation. Focusing on the use of site-specific, gleaned materials and incorporating elements of upcycling, DIY culture, robotics and alternative power sources, Martorell’s projects focus on concepts of transience, sustainability and community based group dynamics. Martorell has exhibited and performed nationally and internationally including major projects, biennials and residencies in Thailand, India, Indonesia, UAE, Taiwan and Singapore. He is the co-founder of Forum of Sensory Motion, a project that has developed a series of nomadic residencies in Australia, Greece and India and along with Chaco Kato he is also the co-founder of the Slow Art Collective, an artistic collective that focuses on creative practices and ethics relating to environmental sustainability, material ethics, and collaborative process driven practices where the focus is on the act of making. He performs both in a solo and group capacity and is a founding member of Snawklor and the Hi – God People.