Mycelial Bodies is an installation of living mycelium figurative sculptures. The sculptures are grown with blue-grey oyster mushrooms on waste cardboard and spent coffee grounds. Through this art experience participants can experience mycelium in a way that is accessible, memorable, and provides a human shaped entry point to building a relationship with fungi. The human brain uses anthropomorphism to help bond and relate to the more than human. Our installation works with this cognitive feature to build connections between humans and mycelium.

Kirsten Tingle is a Scottish artist who specialises in combining biodesign practices with the fine arts. Her latest body of work combines mycelium fabrication, place-based phytoremediation, and traditional oil painting techniques to reimagine painting and sculpture practice in the time of climate crisis.

RJ Weaver is a jeweller and computational designer from Virginia, US based in London. His latest body of work uses computational design algorithms to "grow" digital designs mirroring the rules of nature.

For background on the work:
‘Mycelial Bodies’ is a trio of three life-sized, live mycelium sculptures that aligns with this year's theme of mycelial webs. As one of the few studios in the UK specialising in large-scale mycelium sculptures, the team, led by biodesigner and artist Kirsten Tingle, seeks to provide festival-goers with an intimate, tangible connection to mycelium. The sculptures will be strategically placed in a wooded area where they will grow and fruit throughout the festival, posed in a contemplative manner to encourage interaction. By showcasing these humanesque sculptures, visitors will have the opportunity to experience mycelium up close, creating a deeper understanding of its often-invisible presence in our environment.

Constructed from waste cardboard and spent coffee grounds, the living sculptures utilise mycelium's natural properties as a binding agent and waterproofing element, reinforced by a soy wax coating. At the end of their life cycle, the sculptures will enrich their surrounding area or compost as they decompose, with oyster mushrooms—native to the UK—serving as a sustainable conclusion to the project. Digital design and mould-making will be executed by computational designer, RJ Weaver, a long-time collaborator of Tingle, ensuring a creative and innovative approach to the installation.