Fungi communicate! People communicate!

Sound to Light
The interactive artwork Fungi Luciferin placed in Koroinen, Turku, Finland, replicates a bioluminescent fungus growing and living off a car. The Mushrooms are crafted from metal, wood, and LED lights. The work aims to create a people to Fungi communication training device. The viewer can light up the Mushroom Hats while singing to it. First, it acts as a mirror by responding immediately with light to every sound it hears by dividing it into high, mid, and low frequencies. Secondly, the artwork listens for seconds to process what it has overheard, then answers with a light; thanks to the algorithm, the response feels authentic and surprising.

Mushrooms represent rebirth and regeneration and are the true masters of recycling. Fungi shape the world around us, but we rarely think about it. Mushrooms are often at the end of life but are also at the beginning of things. Humans are just a tiny part of the biomass of the planet earth, and we should always find better ways of conversing and relating to the whole organism.

The work was made possible with the kind support from Turku 2029 Foundation and Taike – Art Promotion Center, Finland.