SONO.RARE
Sono marks a world’s first attempt at acoustic artworks crafted from byssus, a protein fibre secreted by mussels to anchor themselves to surfaces in marine environments. It is the result of four years of R&D in textile cleaning and recycling technology through Sander’s start-up Seastex Ltd.
Also referred to as Sea Silk, byssus is one of the rarest textiles which, has historically been hand-harvested from the Noble Pen Shell in the Mediterranean, where it was transformed into intricate textile artworks. For over 2,000 years, this shimmering golden fibre symbolised luxury and craftsmanship. However, the decline of seagrass beds, overfishing, rising temperatures, and disease have brought the Noble Pen Shell and Sea Silk close to extinction.
Sander reimagined the byssus of Scottish mussels, a more accessible source, as Seawool. Sharing the same visual, tactile, and biological qualities, this textile has been reimagined through Sono.rare as a way to honour and preserve a fragment of an ancient craft, while also looking to the future by supporting mussel farmers and the coastal communities they live in.
The Sono.rare artworks are composed entirely of byssus fibres, set on a wooden base, and crafted without the use of any synthetic binders or petrochemical components. A line running through the fibres symbolises Sander’s first stroke in sketching, brainstorming, and imagining potential solutions to the byssus waste problem when he first encountered it in 2021. Set against a material whose sheen shifts with the light, it marks this generation’s bold and innovative push to transform society while mitigating the degradation of nature.
Medium: Byssus on Wood, Stainless Steel
Dimensions: W56 H70 D7cm
Created in June 2025
Price: Upon Request
Made in Scotland
