Mycorrhizal is an interactive light-based installation that uses community-drawn mycelium as a symbol to illustrate how we as people are all interconnected. Mycelium is the root structure of mushrooms. Not only does it break down and decompose organic matter, but it is also believed to have intelligence and acts as a vehicle for trees and plants to communicate throughout the forest. Specifically, mycorrhizae mycelium forms a relationship with the roots of plants and will reinvest carbon into plants in tumultuous times. It will connect different species of plants and can communicate and transfer nutrients among them. There are many parallels to how individuals connect and grow within a healthy and thriving community.

We engaged with BC residents asking them to draw one line that represents themselves as a hyphae or “root” building up to make the overall collective mycelium structure. These drawings are illuminated and projected upon the ground. When the viewer enters the network, the light comes alive with movement of breath and heartbeat representing that within every community there exists a multitude of pathways for connection, but it requires effort from an individual to enact upon them.