{"product_id":"wakame","title":"Wakame","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeautiful in the water. Transformed by heat into something else entirely.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUndaria pinnatifida\u003c\/em\u003e — known the world over as Wakame, the seaweed beloved in Japanese cuisine — is native to the temperate coastal waters of Japan, China, and Korea. It arrived in New Zealand in the late 1980s, first discovered in Wellington Harbour in 1987, carried here on the hulls of international shipping and fishing vessels. A stowaway from the other side of the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn its natural state, Wakame is a graceful, richly structured seaweed — its broad blade, distinctive midrib, and ruffled lateral fronds unmistakable. Lovely in the water. But in New Zealand it spreads aggressively through vessel biofouling, moorings, even cray pots — a single plant releasing millions of microscopic spores, colonising new areas with extraordinary efficiency.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePressed and heated by the artist's hand, something remarkable happens. The heat reveals a spectrum of colour that the water keeps hidden — ambers, golds, deep greens, the occasional flush of something almost purple. The pressing flattens the fronds into their most graphic form, the intricate structure of the blade laid bare like the pages of something ancient and botanical.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is a particular resonance in this. Taking a species carried across oceans on the hulls of ships — displaced, spreading, making itself at home where it was never meant to be — and finding within it a beauty that speaks to both where it came from and where it ended up.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWakame\u003c\/em\u003e didn't choose to be here. But this piece belongs exactly where it is.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFits beautifully in a kitchen, a dining room, or anywhere that appreciates the art of transformation.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat you're bringing home:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMuseum-quality, fade-resistant print — the ambers, golds and greens of the pressed frond, preserved\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1.25″ thick poly-cotton blend canvas (344 g\/m²)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMounting brackets included — ready to hang\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA2 — 16″×24″ (40.6 × 61 cm)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWant the original?\u003c\/strong\u003e Hand-signed editions (NZ$360–NZ$900) are available exclusively at our Stewart Island gallery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTake a little piece of the island home.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIsland steady. World ready.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn compliance with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), this product is manufactured by EASTERLY LIMITED (hello@easterly.kiwi | 6 Petersons Hill Road, 9818, Stewart Island, New Zealand) and represented in the EU by SINDEN VENTURES LIMITED (Markou Evgenikou 11, Mesa Geitonia, 4002, Limassol, Cyprus | gpsr@sindenventures.com). All consumer products meet EU safety standards.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rakiura Art Gallery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45332492845110,"sku":"4215908_19303","price":150.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/7358\/2134\/files\/canvas-_in_-16x24-front-69d9c2952eaed.jpg?v=1775878817","url":"https:\/\/www.easterly.kiwi\/products\/wakame","provider":"EASTERLY","version":"1.0","type":"link"}