lamellae coriolus o1
67.25h x 41w x 4d" | A V A I L A B L E | 2 0 2 4
Yeasts, brackets, jellies, clubs, crusts, cups, corals, molds, rusts, or smuts... No matter the shape or growth pattern MUSHROOMS ARE SIMPLY INSANE. And mysterious. And creepy. And rotten. And exquisite. And strange. And absolutely gorgeous!!!
Are they plants? Are they animals? Well apparently they are neither. They exist in their own kingdom, a unique branch on the tree of life... called fungi. As stated by Merlin Sheldrake in The Entangled Life, "Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life's processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help correct environmental disasters."
Bracket fungi, which I find really visually interesting, grow in layers because they add a new layer of spore-producing tissue each growing season, essentially building upon the previous year's growth, resulting in a visible, layered appearance on the "shelf" of the fungus as it matures over time; this is due to their perennial nature, meaning they continue to grow year after year on the same host tree. Because these formations slowly build, shift, morph, mature, fan, and dome in nature the way they do, thriving lustily in the silence of the dewy earth, I decided I had to dive in.
So back in my studio, I molded, contorted, warped, and flexed each *bracket* of this sculpture from clay, which I then baked, painted, soaked in coffee, and hand-etched delicate gill lines into with a rotary dremel. Finally they were arranged and installed in the curious layered patterns they form on their host trees. These brackets are typically woody, leathery, patterned with growth lines, and fleshy in texture. Because this type of mushroom has pores instead of gills, and contains a substance being studied in the treatment of breast cancer and boosting of the immune system, it is commonly known in the scientific world as Lamellae and Coriolus. Hello magical mysterious mushroom…
