Saprobia || Introduction Part 2

The words from the first part of my introduction to this project describe the biogeochemical cycles continuously occurring over time in natural ecosystems.  Rarely do we think of a tree as a product of the growth and death of all other trees in that place before it... Perhaps as the offspring of another tree's seed, but rarely as an organism nourished by the same building blocks that it will one day again become... in order to support life going forward.

Saprobia communicates this idea through the representation of a tree as a decomposer organism that would contribute in returning it to the soil to continue the cycle.  The project manifests as an installation of various forms of fungi, each constructed from components of a certain species of tree.  These saprobic representations of a species connect the viewer's perception to the continuity of forest mineral cycling and the interconnectedness of all organisms in an ecosystem, past and present.

Saprobia poses the question of what is next for the elements that once comprised a plant. How will they contribute to other life going forward? How can so small a thing have such an impact? The balance and interaction within nature transforms into a muse for our rejuvenation and strength.

For a number of weeks going forward, up until the installation in October, I will share a little about each saprobic form created for this project. All parts of an ecosystem depend on one another in the delicate balance of the environment.  Natural intelligence guides phenology harmoniously, in a magnificent symphony of self sufficiency.  How remarkable it is that we get to witness this strikingly mysterious collaboration of life.

Photos: 1. dye jars with baldcypress leaves, eastern red cedar heart wood, and black walnut hulls 2. working with honeylocust leaves 3. knitting with seed of cottonwood

 

52 Forms of Fungi || #20

This mushroom holds a special place in my heart.  While I have no idea what species it is, this is a replica of one of my favorite mushrooms that I encountered on my visit to the Pacific Northwest last summer.  We were on a coastal trail surrounded by ferns and, well, mosquitos, and there was an eerie darkness under the trees near the creek bank where it was found.  I won't forget that moment for a long time.  Blackish red russula?  What do you mycologists think?  The actual mushroom was a little more reddish than my interpretation.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

Weekend Workspace || 8-25-13

Saprobia || Introduction

The biota of a forest ecosystem continuously adapts in a self sustaining cycle ofgrowth, reproduction, decline, and renewal. Trees originate from tiny, energy packed seeds - an acorn, a legume. As it grows, a tree is consistently supported by rich mineral soil and moisture retained by organic matter. While debris falls due to conditions surrounding an individual plant, it takes on new life on the floor to impact all other organisms extending their roots to that locale. Broken down by saprobic organisms, trees that lose vitality become the insulation that provides security for water uptake by other trees’ roots. They become the minerals that nourish plants for generations forward. Life feeds life, and all parts of the ecosystem support each other in the continuity of ecology, perhaps in a different form but always present.

Weekend Workspace || 8-18-13

Pine needles.  That's pretty much the extent of my weekend-- lots and lots of pine needles.  Tweaking my methods of working with this material has taken a lot of trial and error, but I've gotten it down to a pretty comfortable (and effective) rhythm.  It's interesting to see how different the pieces look when they're just finished and still damp, as opposed to after a day or so once they've dried.  I'm looking forward to observing the change continue as the needles completely dry out and turn brown.

The piece you see above will form the cap of a mushroom constructed from materials harvested from loblolly pine trees.  This tree species will make up the first segment of Saprobia, an installation for Momentum Tulsa this October.

Rain Does Wonderful Things

August in Oklahoma normally means everything is dry, brown and on its way into dormancy.  We've had way more rain this summer than in the past couple of years (really, that's an understatement), and warm temperatures with a lot of moisture equals fungi!  Here are some little scenes I got really giggly geeking out over last weekend when I was foraging for my Momentum Tulsa installation.  I need to look up the red ones from the second to last photo.  Some knitting might be in order for those...

Stitches for Pixels

The Art of Bits: Bits of Art show opened yesterday, and I must say I am thoroughly impressed with Istvan Gallery.  It's a beautiful, interesting space that connects to the Blue Sage glass studio with a lovely courtyard in the back.  From a Mortal Kombat tournament to character themed drinks and a DJ sampling from classic games, the event was a blast through and through.

My piece for this classic video game themed show is an homage to the iconic toadstool of the early Nintendo Mario Brothers games.  I knitted this piece with US 19 knitting needles and five strands of yarn held together, so the stitch pattern in the colorwork is very apparent.  It reminded me of the highly pixelated images of the early Mario games, which is how I arrived at the title.

I must admit that I've lost most of my interest in gaming, but put me in front of a Sega Genesis with Toejam and Earl and I won't complain.  Those early games hold just enough nostalgia that I won't let go.  I can't quit you, nerd herd and 80's/early 90's exclamations in the elevator.  Crazy dentist and level 0, you'll always hold a special place in my heart.  Finally, toadstool of Mario, do I even need to express the extent of my love?

If you are local to Oklahoma and have interest in purchasing Stitches for Pixels, you may contact the gallery directly or feel free to inquire with me at bromeleighad(at)gmail(dot)com.

Here is an earlier post with a couple of additional photos of the piece.

Weekend Workspace || 8-11-13

In additional to loblolly pine, I've also started working with materials from honeylocust trees.  The forms created from honeylocust are reminiscent of the pieces I knitted for my Decomposition: Colony installations.  Since smaller scale forms have a greater impact in large numbers, this particular "species" will likely encompass one of the largest groupings of the installation.

Acquiring these lovely thorns and branches required a hike in the forest, which I haven't experienced enough of lately in my disdain of summertime heat.  I, of course, took a million photos of fungi and stopped to look at every rotting log.  The rain this summer has resulted in an impressive amount of mycological activity, so I've resolved that a "just for fun" hike is in order in the very near future.  I hope you got to enjoy the outdoors this weekend too.

Momentum Tulsa Spotlight Artist

I've been hinting around enough, but haven't actually officially announced my recent big news... Earlier this summer I submitted a proposal and was selected to be one of three Spotlight Artists for the Momentum Tulsa exhibition that will open in October!  This is a huge honor and I am so thankful to Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and the curators, Emily Kern and Krystle Brewer, for this amazing opportunity!

You will find out more about my project, an installation entitled "Saprobia", as the weeks go on.  I plan to continue posting workspace snippets and progress photos.  This project has already pushed me to try out new techniques and media that I have not worked with before, which has been both enlightening and inspiring.

I'm excited to share more about  my installation, the individual pieces that will be a part of it, and the greater concept that it embodies.  For now, here are a couple of images from recent stages.

Wall Hangings || Riot II

Typically, my work is very setting based, and most often it is impermanent (or really always... until now).  Aside from showing installations that will be removed or immortalizing them with photographs, I had not explored other avenues to make my work accessible for people to view in person until recently.  I currently have two wall hangings up in Coffee Slingers, my favorite coffee shop/roaster in Oklahoma City, in addition to several framed photographs of past installations.  The piece shown above is "Riot II", an extension of the "Decomposition: Riot" installation from April of this year in southeastern Oklahoma.  I used Jack-O-Lantern fungi forms for the piece, as well as bark shed from an elm tree.  The bark is a story in and of itself.  I love how the wall hangings turned out, and will most likely be making more of these.

If you are in the Oklahoma City area and would like to stop by and see my show, it's up for the full month of August.  Coffee Slingers is located at 1015 N Broadway in Downtown Oklahoma City.  Another post is to come with images of the second wall hanging.

52 Forms of Fungi || #19

I've been working diligently on these for several weeks now to incorporate into a wall hanging (more on the finished product soon).  These are one variation on turkey tail fungus.  I'd like to make more using a different color palette - when you look up photos of this species there are so many different shades and patterns.  I love the contrast!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #18

Caesar's mushroom

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #17

I remember that as a kid I was always enchanted by fairy ring mushrooms.  Aside from the folklore, how did they manage to grow near one another in a perfect circle like that?  Something mysterious was at work.  Turns out, that something mysterious is just a common "root system", or mycelium, that the entire group sprouts from.  I still find them enchanting, despite my soon approaching cross-over into my 30's.  We need magic at every age...  Fairy rings are your mycological whimsy.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013.

52 Forms of Fungi || #16

Aseroe rubra, or anemone stinkhorn, is one of those organisms where what appears to be land borne and sea borne collides.  Truly one of the wonders of nature, this beauty grows in the tropics as well as South Carolina (your confusion is as great as mine) where it has apparently been introduced.  The unique construction was a challenge but fun to create!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #15

What happens when a friend emails me a photo of an unusual fungus found in one of your houseplants?  They can expect to see it shortly thereafter in knitted form, of course!  This is the yellow house plant fungus (yes, let's be descriptive as possible, shall we, taxonomists?) and it will often grow in inoculated potting soil that stays moist... which a lot of indoor plants don't like anyway... so maybe let it dry out a little bit and see what happens.  They are not harmful to the plant itself though; just don't make a stir fry with them as they are toxic.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #14

When we had just arrived at the cabin for our weekend in southeast Oklahoma several weeks back, I was poking around in the woods with my camera and happened upon this really unusual, leathery, cup shaped fungus.  After a little research I came to find out that this fungus is called devil's urn, and it is one of the very first species to appear in springtime as the forest comes out of dormancy.  They really are a sight to see, with the brownish exterior and smooth, black interior.  The blend in very closely with their environment and are often found on downed tree limbs.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #13

There are many types of coral fungi that are incredibly eye catching, so I doubt this will be the first species you see here.  This one in particular is known as Clavulinopsis corallinorosacea, and it is found in Australia.  I haven't been able to find much about this specific type of Clavulinopsis other than photos of it, so if anyone has information please send it my way!  But regardless, those colors!  Does this not look like some delicate sea life form that you would see on a snorkling excursion?  Lovely.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #12

How amazing would it be to see one of these in the wild?  Lion's mane or bearded tooth mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is quite rare, and will grow on dead/dying wood as well as parasitically on living trees.  It is also apparently edible with a slightly fishy taste and has medicinal properties such as the potential to heal nerve damage.

As you can see, this took a LOT of i-cord.  I've been working on it for weeks!  I would love to make a huge one at some point, but don't I say that about every form that I make?  Once this project is finished I will probably pick out a few to focus on in more detail and at a larger scale.  Thank you for your patience while I cranked this one out... more fungi is to come for this week!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #11

Fly agaric!  This is probably one of the most recognizable fungi out there.  They're just so bright and captivating (and toxic) and they always make me think of Mario Brothers.  These were really pretty fun to make.  Oh!  Here is some interesting cultural information/ethnobotany facts about the species.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project

Fungi of Southeastern Oklahoma

  Here are some more observations from our trip to Broken Bow, OK last month.  I also posted about the plant life a couple of weeks ago.  It feels like I haven't looked at fungi in forever, mostly because I've been working on another project which you'll find out more on soon.  I'm pretty excited about multiple things that are happening in life right now, and hopefully I can be a little less cryptic and let you in on these things in the very near future.  Until then... fungi!