Mycelium

One of the stand-out projects showcased at this year’s GMD Degree Show was this interactive project by Karoline Winzer.

The mushrooms you see on the surface are only half the story – under the ground lies a whole interconnected web of fungi called mycelium. Mycelium forges vital networks that allow trees to communicate and share nutrients across the ecosystem. It represents a collective built on the principle of connection and sharing to help others in a broader environment.

So what if humans could experience this collaborative sharing and connection? What if they could physically see what it does?

This project is a literal parallel to the world of mycelium and the broader concept of collaboration. People have to work together to connect two sides of the installation, and when they do, they trigger a series of visual and auditory effects. It’s all based on a bioelectrical circuit that you can trigger through skin contact alone – the cool bit is that without you, the system physically cannot work.

I love this idea of an invisible action like connection producing visible results, and also interactions that are inherently dependent on you and your body. There’s something magical about realising that by the sheer value of being you, you have the power to affect change in your environment, and something even more amazing when you realise what happens when you share that with others.

It was so much fun to build this and see people light up with the installation, even coming back to experience it with their friends and families over and over again. That’s exactly what MYCELIUM aims to do – connect people.

The videos (right) explain the process.

For more of Karoline’s work,

Website: https://www.karolinewinzer.com/mycelium

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karowinzer/