Forage (Installation) — Florence Anastasia

FORAGE (Installation) 2024

About
The first work produced from my Mycelium oil polluted research was ‘Forage’ a scenic installation. Here I began to develop ideas for the settings of a mushroom laboratory filled with corruption, inspired by a ‘Charlie in the chocolate factory’ -esque journey through rooms. Each scene was paired with a QR code for soundscape and poetry. Each had an interactive moment.

Bigotous’ HQ:

In this room of the mushroom laboratory I created a satirical character inspired by oil company CEO’s named ‘Bigotous Hedlby’. This was the largest scene of all the boxes decorated with a tall mushroom table and chair and surrounded by framed photos of Bigotous in various narcissistic poses, emphasising a self- focused way of living that neglects effects on others. On the table is three ‘How to’ books as fuel for his ego. While the inside is a display of his importance, the outside of the box is covered in dripped black paint pointing to the hidden truth behind Bigotous’ success - toxic oil dumping, this was also plastered in newspaper articles demonstrating his hypocrisy through quotes by real world leaders.

The Foraging Forest

Inside this scene was a painted cave background with fungi figures marked toxic and non-toxic demonstrating the theme of false morality by creating a guessing game to see which mushroom would be poisonous judging by appearance. Here alluding to greenwashing oil companies. Inside the scene is a fairy ring with translucent mushroom figures in a fairy ring an ode to the folklore that mushrooms are tied to where upon entering a fairy ring you will be sentenced to eternal dancing. The fairy ring figures represented those that defied the oil company boss Bigotous trapped away and voiceless.

The Testing room

This room allowed me to visually explore the process of Mycoremediation (the use of mushroom to clean up toxic waste in soils). On the top of the scene is a scroll of DNA to unravel exploring human and nature relationships. The outsides are brick walls falling apart with ripped holes that reveal the inside scene; lit up strips of light resembling DNA strands emerging from the ceiling, with a dangled glass vial containing a figure trapped in mossy mess. On the walls are illustrations of mushrooms that merge with human figures with diluted cells revealing the true use of the testing room. I explored themes of abusing the power of nature and treating people as test subjects as an allegory for how environment and community is treated by oil companies such as Chevron.

Grim Reapers Lair

This scene is a piece of underground with the top lair of soil peaking out. Attached is a bended string of mycelium with a hoop handle for viewers to drag across without touching the string. Inside this scene are two deathly mushrooms with scythes emerging out of them, the species of mushroom are the Death Angel and the False morel, both deadly to humans. They hold evidence of what has been happening in the testing room hiding the truth, viewers must followed a dangerous trail to uncover the truth buried underground.

Photography by Sungyeon Kim.