Rhizomatic textiles are interconnected, non-linear material systems inspired by the structure of rhizomes—root-like networks that spread horizontally without a single point of origin or hierarchy. In my work, these textiles are created through a transdisciplinary approach, merging ancestral Croatian glassmaking and quilting traditions with algae-based carbon fibers, biotechnology, and ecological design. This process transforms atmospheric carbon into living, responsive materials that grow, adapt, and repair themselves over time. 

Rhizomatic textiles challenge conventional boundaries between art, science, and sustainability, offering new possibilities for cultural preservation and ecological regeneration. Each piece embodies resilience, weaving together past knowledge and future potential in an evolving, living system.

Becoming Glasswort is an ongoing body of work that draws from ancestral knowledge, plant intelligence, and interspecies collaboration. Inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s idea that plants are “our oldest teachers,” Vladimir Kanic turns to the glasswort plant native to his ancestral island—an enduring species that thrives in the salt marshes, sustaining biodiversity and cultural memory alike. Once a crucial material in Croatia’s historic glassmaking traditions, glasswort now becomes both medium and metaphor in this series. Through fine art prints and Rhizomatic Textiles, Kanic bridges past and future, embodying the plant’s lessons in resilience and regeneration. Like glasswort metabolizing salt to nourish its ecosystem, these works metabolize inherited stories and practices, offering blueprints for survival and cultural continuity in uncertain futures.