Malu Lücking
What If We Could Regenerate Any Flavour – Even from Extinct Plants and Animals – Using Algae?
Imagine if we were to actually deplete the oceans or if global warming were to become an onslaught on biodiversity – two by no means fictitious scenarios. It would be fairly inappropriate to now write, “Then don’t worry, because Malu Lücking has the solution!” But it does tell you something about the insane things the German interdisciplinary designer is working on.
Lücking is a textile designer by training, but she subsequently added a master’s degree in biodesign at Central Saint Martins in London. Ever since, she has been exploring biomaterials, and algae in particular. She investigates what the potential of micro- and macroalgae is for the future of our food and as a source of regenerative aquaculture. Or in layman’s terms, what if we could regenerate any flavour – even from extinct plants and animals – using algae? The technology is still in the development stage, but Lücking is far from the only one who believes it is possible. Much of her work is based on research from the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.