Mediamatic and Buurtwerkplaats Noorderhof present ‘Mycelium Disco’, a special edition of the program Collectively Creative.
Collectively Creative is a program by artist Claire van der Mee and Buurtwerkplaats Noorderhof that explores collectivity as a response to the challenges faced by contemporary creative makers. In this third edition the focus is on the subject of community building. Artist and researcher, Shanna de Ruiter, will give a presentation on Mycorrhiza fungi, in which she explores how these underground fungal networks can guide us in living symbiotically with each other and with other organisms.
Mediamatic's fascination with mycelium began 15 years ago. During this time we have made tableware, wedding dresses, plant pots, lamps and food from it. In 2020, Mediamatic joined forces with artist Arne Hendriks to explore the possibilities of using mycelium as a building material for constructing pigeon towers. Month after month, a diverse range of towers have sprouted up around Mediamatic Biotoop. The iconic structures stand as testaments to Mediamatic's ongoing exploration of novel modes of coexistence within urban environments.
As part of this collaboration, a new pigeon tower will be built by Arne at the space of Buurtwerkplaats Noorderhof. Before the building process begins, the mycelium blocks need to be pressed. First, we used a machine to press the blocks, but we found out that a community dance ritual has the same effect, and is a lot more fun! This sparked the creation of Gentle Discos at Mediamatic and we are now excited to host one at Buurtwerkplaats Noorderhof. Join us to gently dance on top of the mycelium blocks while listening to some good dancing music, and contribute to the building process of a pigeon tower!
On this evening, you will be guaranteed to learn a lot about these fungal networks, with contributions from makers from Nieuw-West and artists from Mediamatic.
Information
Saturday 2nd of November
19:00 - 02:00
Tickets
Please note that this presentation will take place at Buurtwerkplaats Noorderhof and not at Mediamatic Biotoop.
Address: President Allendelaan 3, Amsterdam
