Wondering how to tie in my lichen project to a coherent philosophy has left me feeling a little puzzled. I am writing this blog post to make sense of the various notes I have made throughout the year, in the hope that this will help me fill the remaining holes in my installation. I guess the best place to start is with the practicality of the idea itself.
- The projected idea currently consists of a chopping block, with a schematic of lichen morphology painted around it. Within brown fungal strands (hyphae), there will be a series of circles representing the alga component of lichen. These circles will be painted with conductive paint and thus touch sensitive, activating sounds upon being pressed (I am still figuring out what exactly will be triggered).
- On top of the chopping block there will be a mound of Oak Moss (Everna Prunastri) and Beard Lichen (Usnea) illuminated by a lamp. This will make the lichen centre stage, under a spotlight, to draw attention to it as the main attraction of the installation.
- I intend to create a cyanotype booklet, with information on how to interact with the installation, as well as further writings and diagrams on the nature of lichen.
Given that lichen is the result of symbiogenesis, between a mycobiont (fungi) and a photobiont (algae, cyanobacteria, or both), and even sometimes bacteria and yeasts, the installation involves the act of interacting together to mimic this circumstance of co-evolution. The log will have two sides, and two separate touch sensitive algae buttons on it. When both are triggered I hope to create a distinct change in the soundscape that sounds symbiosis somehow. I am also still figuring out what is supposed to happen when each is triggered individually.
Secondly, lichen, being a largely overlooked, and misunderstood organism, inspired me to make them the centrepiece of this work. By placing them in the spotlight, I aim to stage a dramaturgical encounter through material composition, in which they are momentarily elevated to protagonism within the human experience.
Lastly, the booklet should contain various cyanotypes I have created, inspired by the works of Anna Atkins. These cyanotypes will encompass images of actual lichen, a more detailed picture of lichen morphology, short listening prompts similar to Emergence Magazine’s practice booklets, and instructions on how to interact with the installation.
“The world is a knot in motion.” – Donna Haraway, When Species Meet – For booklet ? quotes in booklet…
Philosophical themes include: extended empathy for lower life-forms – differences/ key points of affinity, symbiotic listening, bio-sociality, biological intentionality (consciousness in lower life-forms – why lower? – introduces hierarchy), systems thinking/ listening, listening in spite of the body (empathetic listening), the ecological self ) aware of its embeddedness within the relationships that constitute it, whether human or otherwise, empathetic resonance (dissertation), the very first relationship that enabled life on land – we are the living embodiment of something far more fundamental and ecological, emergent naturecultures.