Due to the way fungi live off dead material and their morbid beauty, I saw a connection between the death of a loved one, how we as humans deal with death and the world of fungi. How and when can fungi be of importance during the mourning of a loved one? What happens when a fungus interferes with an image of the person you have lost? And does this affect the memory associated with it?
This is what I have been researching during this project named ‘Unwaning Body’. I started making tangible objects of archive images and new photographs I made of trees infected by Thaumetopoea processionea, otherwise known as oak processionary moth. With this proces I created a new ritual surrounding the remembrance of a person who is no longer with us. By using bio-materials (such as handmade bioplastics and mycelium) for printing, the potential for moulds to grow on and inside the photographic objects arose. Not every object was “infected” with a fungus, but the ones that were began to grow and change as the fungi developed further. This proces became a symbol for the way your memory of someone who has died can change and deteriorate over time. Besides that it was also a method to work with materials and images related to this person and let them grow and live, in a way.
This is what I have been researching during this project named ‘Unwaning Body’. I started making tangible objects of archive images and new photographs I made of trees infected by Thaumetopoea processionea, otherwise known as oak processionary moth. With this proces I created a new ritual surrounding the remembrance of a person who is no longer with us. By using bio-materials (such as handmade bioplastics and mycelium) for printing, the potential for moulds to grow on and inside the photographic objects arose. Not every object was “infected” with a fungus, but the ones that were began to grow and change as the fungi developed further. This proces became a symbol for the way your memory of someone who has died can change and deteriorate over time. Besides that it was also a method to work with materials and images related to this person and let them grow and live, in a way.
Photos from the exhibition 'Something new, Something borrowed' at AG in Utrecht.
To see more of the exhibition click here
(Photos by Joey Streppel & Demi Manders)
To see more of the exhibition click here
(Photos by Joey Streppel & Demi Manders)
