By: Gunzi Holmström (2023)

Bronze sculpture and sound installation – 2023

The Mushroom is an interactive artwork that combines an olive-green bronze sculpture with a dreamy, evocative soundworld. Underground biosensors pick up communication between a fungus mycelium and tree roots. These impulses are turned into a mysterious music that can be heard on the seashore of Hanaholmen’s southwestern promontory.

The installation was inspired by current ecological research, with multiple experiments showing that fungi, trees and other plants actively engage in intelligent action and extensive cooperation. Visual artist Gunzi Holmström wants to spark curiosity and interest in the complex ecological processes that go on hidden from our eyes. The soft, meditative soundworld lets us experience how life and consciousness are all around us in nature.

The Mushroom is Holmström’s third public artwork. The technical design and implementation were done by Jari Lehtinen, and the piece uses tones from the Bell Tree instrument made by the Danish company Aluphone. The Mushroom has been produced by Hanaholmen – the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre, Konstsamfundet, and Pro Artibus Foundation, which was also the project’s artistic expert.