Episode 18: Forest Undersound
In the book ‘The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate’ author Peter Wohlleben explores the secret world of tree communication. Deep beneath the soil, trees live in community, helping each other, through their root systems. Science has revealed that neighboring trees communicate directly by intertwining their roots, and indirectly via the fungal networks around the roots that serve to further connect separate trees. In this hidden world, trees are able to recognize their own species, share nutrients, and resist environmental stressors.
These fungal networks can cover large surface areas by developing white fungal threads called mycelium, which interact with tree roots through the mycorrhizal network. In this episode, we take a closer look at fungi with Tosca Teran, an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of art and ecology. Through their work in nonhuman bio-sonification, fungi bio-materials, and immersive mixed reality environments, they have gained a deeper understanding of the private world of mycelium and hopes to help humankind imagine the world from the perspectives of non-human life.
Guests
Through developing bodies of work incorporating metal, glass, and electronics, Tosca has received scholarships from The Corning Museum of Glass, Pilchuck Glass School and The Penland School of Crafts.
Tosca’s work has been featured at SOFA New York, Culture Canada, Metalsmith Magazine, The Toronto Design Exchange, the Memphis Metal Museum, MOCA in partnership with the Ontario Science Centre, Grow-Op, Music Works Magazine, and Vector Festival.
In 2019 Tosca was one of the first Bio-Artists in residence at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto in partnership with the Ontario Science Centre, as well as a recipient of the 2019 BigCi Environmental Award at Wollemi National Park within the UNESCO World Heritage site in the Greater Blue Mountains to further explore her work in bio-sonification of fungi and trees with local mycologists and botanists at the Sydney Botanical Gardens, and with Māori rangers concerned with Kauri die-back at the Arataki Visitor Centre, New Zealand.
Special show notes
You can catch Tosca’s upcoming installations & mixed reality experiences collaborating with mycelium bio-sonification:
Symbiosis/Dysbiosis VR experience late Fall 2020
The Museum 2021
NAISA 2021
You can listen to Tosca’s bio-sonification work at the links below:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nanotopia/sets/midnight-mushroom-music
Youtube (for Live Midnight Mushroom Music streams): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1zFEYAEi0YrwyJBC5qQvHA
Tracklistings
Inner Wave - Schemin
Kindness - Hard to Believe feat. Jazmine Sullivan
La Banda Dei Cartoni - Tim Toum
Shopping - Wind Up
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Cherchez la Femme
Ann Peebles - If This is Heaven
Amanda Reifer - Rich Bitch Juice
Frank Ocean - In My Room
Kalima - (Where is the) Sunshine - Pt. II
Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell - Guinea
Listen to the show playlist on spotify
*With music from Sun Araw, Antiguo Autómata Mexicano, Cary Allison AKA D’addy, Aylu
SUN ARAW - Big Bruce, Fluid Array, Arrambe
Antiguo Autómata Mexicano - Mitte (Kampion Mix)
Cat 500 - Ochanomizu, Peluria, The Dump, Momma Inst
Aylu - Seum album