Winner of the 2024 NAS HEAP experimental award

‘Myco Electrica’ brings to the forefront an invisible force; mycelium. Mycelium, fungi roots, send electrical signals between fungi & forests to coordinate growth, nutrient transfer & defence.

Experimenting with synthetic & organic materials, this research-based work contemplates electricity as a language. Raising questions about human-centric views on intelligence, biotech & electricity.

Dr Mohammad Mahdi Dehshibi's research on mycelium’s electric signals informs the work. His research suggests the complexity of this ‘language’ surpasses many human languages. Dehshibi went on to create an operational mycelium computer.

‘Myco Electrica’ reveals mycelium's conductivity using fungi and electricity from a Tesla Coil. In the work, red, green & blue light blend to form white light, where fungi cast tri-colour shadows. The interplay of light parallels mycelium’s complex ‘language’. The tension between nature & synthetic matter, the physical & digital, is encapsulated in the mystery of mycelium.​

Within ‘Myco Electrica', a mycelium root, sewn with textiles and electrical cords, highlights the fusion of nature and technology, giving rise to a digital, holographic mushroom – a blend of the synthetic and organic. Technology, like mycelium, unveils insights into nature and ourselves.