Mycelia Exhibition Presentation: Promoting ethnobotany and sustainability through art | Tuesday, 7th March, 1400-1500

Mycelia is a multimedia exhibition celebrating the relationship between humans and plants, and will be held on Wednesday 15th March, 17:00-20:00 in FAB0.20. During Green Week, Lewis Dobbs, a final-year Media and Creative Industries student and creator of the exhibition gave an introductory presentation for the exhibition.  

Mycelia is the network of thin filaments connecting fungi and plants, providing nutrients and water to nourish the fungi. It is invisible to the human eye – just like the bond humans and plants (and nature in general) share, which is precisely what the ethnobotanic art that will be displayed in the exhibition hopes to celebrate.  

16 artists who specialise in different mediums and art forms have been invited to display their work. Such as Charlie Vásquez’s Egreso series of digital images created through AI feedback loops portraying the relationship between nature, humanity and technology; as well as Macarena Francisca’s Keeki series of paintings portraying a world where marine, forests and microscopic connections exist in parallel. There will also be hand-drawn animations, photography and poetry.  

Much effort and consideration has been put into visitors’ auditory experiences as well. An immersive space will be created through synthesised music and nature sounds performed live by Lewis. An interactive sound installation Playtronica will also be available for visitors to experiment with, which will turn the electric signals transmitted in plants into sound.  

With every element being so carefully and maticoulously thought out, I highly encourage everyone to visit and immerse themselves in Mycelia – to take some time off our busy schedules and reconnect with nature and the comfort it brings.

by Lianna Ng, March 2023