Karina Ye, Illustration, 2023
Mycelium is the begining and base of mushroom life. Water is the source of all life. For keeping the life, water plays an important role in everywhere. This fountain is made by resin and myceliums, it represents the intangible water around us and makes the world into an actual form.
Process
I tried five different combinations of materials to make the mycelium, the Pohu Oyster mushroom and the Reishi were working the best with grains(grits, millets, ground coffee, rice, sawdust) for mycelium. I made an volcanic mould and filled it up with three kinds of myceliums(the black mycelium has compressed fungus and white beans) just for making an experience with this material. In the same time, I formed a ring shape by using two myceliums. I found out that myceliums have different shrinkage just like clay when it dried. Therefore, my ring is not a perfect circle in the end. And also compressed fungus absorb too much water, the volcanic mycelium took so long to dry.
