In “Patchwork Forests”, you get to explore the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi. The project presents a dense collage of various photographs, creating a unique forest landscape on a display or projection, accompanied by a tranquil forest soundscape. Using your mouse you can place common european ectomycorrhizal mushrooms (chanterelles, porcinis, tricholoma) across the screen and watch as they connect to the visible trees. Once enough connections are formed, the collage expands, revealing new details and a florishing forestscape. As more mycorrhizal connections emerge, the collage grows even denser and the forest also becomes louder and full of life. Additionally,you can access an informative sheet featuring key facts, interesting sources, and an intuitive introduction to mycorrhiza.
Mycorrhizal Networks
Beneath our feet, an invisible world thrives—a vast underground network where plants and fungi work in harmony. This remarkable partnership, known as mycorrhiza, is a powerful symbiosis between plant roots and mushroom mycelium. Together, they form an intricate web, exchanging essential nutrients that sustain life.
This hidden alliance is one of nature’s most ancient and crucial ecological relationships, enriching soil health, fostering biodiversity, and even acting as a significant underground carbon sink. Without it, forests wouldn’t flourish, ecosystems wouldn’t be as resilient, and life as we know it would be profoundly different.
This interactive and informative digital installation invites viewers to explore the science and wonders of mycorrhizal networks while creating their own lush forest ecosystems. Through a dynamic collage of European forest flora and fauna, you can witness the profound impact of healthy soil, leading in turn to thriving, biodiverse forests.