Midnight Mushroom Music

Sunrise at Bigci recording the Scarlets.

Last night it rained (finally!) leaving the earth wet this morning so, I took an early walk down to the Scarlet fungi to record their bio-data. Curious birds chirped, trilled and squawked at me while I placed the electrodes onto the mushrooms. That said, this recording is from Ganoderma steyaertanum, a Tasmanian clone. I am currently experimenting with the steyaertanum mycelium towards an upcoming workshop here at Bigci October 12th, 2019. It fruits low on hardwood trees deep in the rainforests here.

New intro!

Artist in residence and new mate up here at Bigci.org, Madeleine Shaw aka Maddy allowed me to record her voice to highlight and mark my time here. Check out her work when you get a chance! https://maddyshaw.com.au

Meanwhile, I am excited and honoured to share the following news! Some of my mycelium bio-data/bio-sonifications (along with images and text) are being integrated into artist/film-maker Lisa Jackson’s upcoming massive installation, TRANSMISSIONS, large-scale three-part multimedia installation about the power of language, in an indigenous futurist setting. Premiering September 5-28 downtown Vancouver at Simon Fraser University's Milton Wong Theatre. Tour to follow.

So, if you are in or around Vancouver Sept 5-28 make sure to check it out!

Coming to you from the Blue Mountains in NSW Australia! I am excited to have made it at long last. A recipient of the BigCi Environmental award I am residing at the edge of Wollemi National Park. The trees here are spectacular! This morning I went on a short walk to a beautiful red gum to test out new coding I've recently added to one of the Bio-Sonification modules I brought along with me. Terrestrial. Indigenous. These trees have many stories to tell...

Today Andrei and I were interviewed by Ground magazine quarterly (Ontario Association of Architecture) During the interview mycelium was softly playing in the background. Later in we hooked up the writer and then ourselves to each other. Look for our interview in the Fall issue of Ground (Toronto). Thanks for listening :)

Image AI created. Amanita crossbred with a terrier

It feels like forever! After the Mycelium Martian Dome, prototype 1,0 went up we needed some serious downtime to recoup. We left a panel growing at the Dressler's for over two weeks now so, we thought we better check-in! Out of its growing chamber, it was slowly drying. It felt only a day or two out and hyphae could be seen growing in valleys and crevices. I gently nestled the electrodes down into some hyphae clumps and started recording. About a minute in I gave the mycelium some water in places then we went and kicked back for a bit allowing it to do its thing. After thirty or so minutes we went back in and I made a connection between myself and the Hyphae. Not expecting anything to happen. Then 38 minutes in the Mycelium and I are making a connection.

Thanks for listening! Nighty night.

Saturday afternoon, June 29th 2019 and the Mycelium Brain over in the MOCA studio is still alive and growing! It is incredibly active. I hooked the module up to an Eowave Domino (droneOrama!) and eventually brought that MIDI data through a Volca fm with the always amazing Strymon Blue Sky- courtesy of Moog Audio Toronto.

Mark your calendars for Vector Festival July 11-14 2019. July 14, 1PM to 4PM I will be set-up on the 1st floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto with InterAccess. Plants, moss/lichen generously provided by Emblem flowers Toronto, subwoofer and mixer supplied by Moog Audio. Mycelium supplied by Mushroom Guerrilla and Ecovative Design. Come experience bio-sonification and interact with the plants and fungi!

'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'

A central theme of the "Ozymandias" poems (excerpt here by Shelley) is the inevitable decline of rulers with their pretensions to greatness.

Physarum polycephalum does not see Humans as ruler, nor their pretensions.

Apologies for a couple missed evenings. Andrei and I have been contemplating our losses. Andrei's father last year, my mother this year along with everything else. Positive thoughts, too. Many projects and changing the code on our bio-sonification modules- which you hear here. Andrei and I hooked up to each other, our bio-data simultaneously chugging through the MIDI channels, making sounds. Sirin and Grandmother. Then we venture towards Mars. Andrei and Grandmother. Meanwhile, we are working on the Mycelium Martian Dome project, generously sponsored by: Ecovative Design, Moog Audio, Brothers Dressler, The Mushroom Guerrilla in partnership with MoCA and the Ontario Science Centre. Installing later in July, 2019.

Electrodes placed on my scalp, MIDI out to Mother 32 running into various Eurorack modules; Karl Marx, Braids, Clouds, Black Hole and some Make Noise.. It has been a difficult week. Wondered what that might sound like.

Listening to the Mycelium sculpture that was grown for GrowOp 2019 every other day, it changes. This episode is a bit Bjork + Matmos = some high pitched pings so, watch out if you're wearing headphones! Oh and May the 4th be with you! :)

Scanning electron mage taken from Lichen growing on a birch branch that I found.