These sculptures are a collaborative monument to the ancient fungi Prototaxites. Members of the public joined our workshops to build a small copse of 1 - 2 metre sculptures. We drew from forms Prototaxites might have taken, this was in consultation with paleo-mycologists and has led to deeper work with other art science communicators about paleo-mycology. 

The sculpture workshops were accompanied by lectures I gave about the fungus and some of the context of its ecological niche and its science history. This pair of sculptures are often displayed outdoors and were built with internal compartments which contain substrate to allow mushrooms to fruit from their sides. They were originally intended as a type of waste disposal bin for coffee and other mushroom suitable substrate, and later versions will pursue this goal.

These sculptures intend to communicate their meaning through their praxis. By building them collaboratively, roles for participants in the workshops were loosely designated and allowed to adapt so that the making process mirrored the role of the Prototaxites fungus in the ancient ecosystems of earth. The final fruiting body of Prototaxites represents the tip of a super organism that is composed of individuals with specific roles. The dream of using them as a waste bin also mirrors the role mycology should have in society, if citizens are able to integrate mycological agriculture into their lives in a way that’s self directed and based in implicit knowledge, as much as explicit knowledge, then it could become easier for regular people to participate in bioremediation.