Natalie Majaba Waldburger

In the series Colony, Victorian ceiling medallions are cast out of mycelium, the root system of fungus.  Reacting with oxygen, the network of filaments expand into these moulds to take the forms of these ornate architectural embellishments made uncanny by the resulting soft suede-like and mottled surfaces.  The imperfections and variations are simultaneously tactile and organic.  Mycelium growth responds to ambient conditions during its ten-day growth cycle and varies from species to species.  Temperature, light, bacteria, and other factors alter the bodies of this material resulting it a variety of differences in color, texture, and density.