Myco-scapes: Multispecies Entanglements in Artmaking

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Date

2024-06-25

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Publisher

Virginia Tech

Abstract

Myco-scapes: Multispecies Entanglements in Artmaking is a body of ephemeral fiber sculptures. These weavings and digital fabrications are the result of collaborations with dynamic materials and other species, primarily fungi. The artworks (or artifacts) of the artist's material intra-actions explore the possibilities, challenges, and ethics of multispecies collaboration. Furthermore, in its ephemerality, Myco-scapes responds to the preventative conservation practices employed by art museums. Not only do these sculptures embody the fleeting nature of material entanglements, but they also challenge the capitalist structure of art collecting through their impermanence.

The written thesis describes the artist's studio practice by exploring three primary influences: mycelium (the root-like structures of mushrooms), entanglements (the complex interwoven structures in which we exist), and preventative conservation (art-handling protocol designed to preserve artifacts).

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Keywords

myco-scape, entanglements, New Materialism, mycelium, preventative conservation, intra-action, collections care, multispecies, ephemerality

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