Lily Pedano, Interdisciplinary Sculpture, 2025
I am a sculptor working primarily in ceramic, metal, and wood, examining themes of mental health, childhood, and femininity
Project Overview
This piece is in conversation with my bacterial cellulose project, “Cellular Portrait.” I was once again inspired by the relationship between the source material and the final product, so I have created another sculpture of my mother’s face to reference the connections between the different phases of mycelium.
Process
For this project, I began with inoculating wood pellets with reishi mushroom. I then used the vacuum form to make a mold of the ceramic sculpture of my mom’s face. I packed the mold with the reishi, but it only grew on the open surface and not throughout. In an attempt to remedy this, I injected it with a rice flour and water mixture, but that did not change anything. I made a second mold and packed it with the Ecovative mystery material, which was successful.
