Track from
Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis: Sentience
Scene One: MOTH
THE GUESTS FIND THEY HAVE EMERGED FROM CHRYSALIS WITHIN A DENSE FOREST. STRANGE SOUNDS AND LOW-FREQUENCIES SURROUND THEM. A DENSE FOG FILLS THE AREA. AS THE GUESTS COME TO TERMS WITH THEIR NEW SURROUNDINGS, THEY HEAR SINGING-LIKE SOUNDS NOT TOO FAR FROM WHERE THEY STAND THAT DRAW THEIR ATTENTION TO THEIR RIGHT. FLOATING IN THE AIR IS A GIANT SILK MOTH TURNING TO FACE THE GUESTS. THE MOTH'S LARGE BLACK EYES GLEAM AS THEIR ANTLER-LIKE ANTENNAE GENTLY TURN.
(surprised to see humans emerging from their chrysalis, Moth wonders aloud)
"...How have YOU come to be?"
Moth is still slightly confused by these visitors and their sudden appearance; Moth is curious and mumbles a bit to themselves, recognizing that the Guests are Human.
MOTH
"Well, you are an invasive species after all…"
Moth's head tilts as they survey the situation and speak to the Humans,
"We are invasive here... We are not meant for here, yet here we are.
The forest needs you to SEE.
The forest…. We don't have much time."
A thrumming can be heard and felt by the Humans.
The Moth's upper set of hands makes a tree form in the air above the humans.
"You must locate the Great Tree. We can take you below.
Look for sounds..."
-Moth's multiple hands move in a circular pattern-
"...They may appear like this..."
Moth gestures -the Humans see glyphs above Moth's hands while a pleasant tone is heard. The Moth's 3rd eye begins to glow.
"Look for them as they may help you... We are all connected."
Pointing at the Humans with one hand while sweeping upward with another hand and pointing to the left with one of their other hands, Moth tells the Humans,
"You must climb The Steps of Ganoderma to enter the Queendom to
find the Mycelial Entity. She will help you see."
Moth carefully studies each of the Humans,
"Will you do this?"
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Track from
Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis: Sentience
Scene One: MOTH
THE GUESTS FIND THEY HAVE EMERGED FROM CHRYSALIS WITHIN A DENSE FOREST. STRANGE SOUNDS AND LOW-FREQUENCIES SURROUND THEM. A DENSE FOG FILLS THE AREA. AS THE GUESTS COME TO TERMS WITH THEIR NEW SURROUNDINGS, THEY HEAR SINGING-LIKE SOUNDS NOT TOO FAR FROM WHERE THEY STAND THAT DRAW THEIR ATTENTION TO THEIR RIGHT. FLOATING IN THE AIR IS A GIANT SILK MOTH TURNING TO FACE THE GUESTS. THE MOTH'S LARGE BLACK EYES GLEAM AS THEIR ANTLER-LIKE ANTENNAE GENTLY TURN.
(surprised to see humans emerging from their chrysalis, Moth wonders aloud)
"...How have YOU come to be?"
Moth is still slightly confused by these visitors and their sudden appearance; Moth is curious and mumbles a bit to themselves, recognizing that the Guests are Human.
MOTH
"Well, you are an invasive species after all…"
Moth's head tilts as they survey the situation and speak to the Humans,
"We are invasive here... We are not meant for here, yet here we are.
The forest needs you to SEE.
The forest…. We don't have much time."
A thrumming can be heard and felt by the Humans.
The Moth's upper set of hands makes a tree form in the air above the humans.
"You must locate the Great Tree. We can take you below.
Look for sounds..."
-Moth's multiple hands move in a circular pattern-
"...They may appear like this..."
Moth gestures -the Humans see glyphs above Moth's hands while a pleasant tone is heard. The Moth's 3rd eye begins to glow.
"Look for them as they may help you... We are all connected."
Pointing at the Humans with one hand while sweeping upward with another hand and pointing to the left with one of their other hands, Moth tells the Humans,
"You must climb The Steps of Ganoderma to enter the Queendom to
find the Mycelial Entity. She will help you see."
Moth carefully studies each of the Humans,
"Will you do this?"
Mycelia premiered as the opening performance for A MAZE. / Berlin festival 2021 in VRChat. A meta-immersive living mycelium musical entanglement.
Nanotopia is known for hooking up fungi with electrodes and circuitry to record its various biodata and translating this biodata (often in real-time) through synthesisers both analog and digital.
In 2020 Tosca Terán was an invited participant in the New Nature Climate Science Exchange hosted by the Goethe-Institute, curated by Samara Chadwick. Through this exchange with other like-minded artists, technologists and scientists Tosca presented a proposal towards bringing living fungi biodata into a VR environment, creating a macroscopic experience of human and nonhuman entanglements within a forest environment. Working project title: Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis.
After the presentations Tosca and digital technologist Sara Lisa Vogl connected and later began work on the Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis project. Bringing in Neuroscientist/coder Brendan Lehman, Photogrammetric/new media artist Allison Moore, VR world builder Jason Stapleton, Sound designer Penelope Walcott, AR collaborator Peter Henderson, and early involved Arduino robot builder Lorena Salomé. Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis is generously funded by the Goethe-Institute Montreal, Canada Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council with sponsorship from bHaptics and ARTIVIVE.
Tosca and Sara Lisa thought it would be fun to participate in the A MAZE. / Berlin festival but knew the Sym/Dys project was far too large not to mention myriad COVID19 restrictions plus, looking at VRChat as a platform et viola! a Mycelia mood board branched out. Sara Lisa was introduced to the Meta Crew South Africa while working for SXSW and felt that this amazing group of creators might be interested in working on a Mycelia world - and they were!!
Concept for Mycelia was, of course, to bring living mycelium bio-sonification into VRChat with reactive audio aspects via a live human & nonhuman electronic music performance. Sara Lisa had been learning how to work with a Sports Pole in VR and thought she could add to the performance with an interpretive full-body tracked dance as spores above Tosca's avatar.
Living mycelium and human performances have taken place for
A MAZE. / Berlin
The Venice Film Festival 2021- VR Expanded
and the Raindance Film Festival where Mycelia won the Spirit of the Festival award.
nanotopia will be releasing the Mycelia performances soon. Here is a preview!
xoxox
Happy New Year 2022!
Midnight Mushroom Music
Track from
Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis: Sentience
Scene One: MOTH
THE GUESTS FIND THEY HAVE EMERGED FROM CHRYSALIS WITHIN A DENSE FOREST. STRANGE SOUNDS AND LOW-FREQUENCIES SURROUND THEM. A DENSE FOG FILLS THE AREA. AS THE GUESTS COME TO TERMS WITH THEIR NEW SURROUNDINGS, THEY HEAR SINGING-LIKE SOUNDS NOT TOO FAR FROM WHERE THEY STAND THAT DRAW THEIR ATTENTION TO THEIR RIGHT. FLOATING IN THE AIR IS A GIANT SILK MOTH TURNING TO FACE THE GUESTS. THE MOTH'S LARGE BLACK EYES GLEAM AS THEIR ANTLER-LIKE ANTENNAE GENTLY TURN.
(surprised to see humans emerging from their chrysalis, Moth wonders aloud)
"...How have YOU come to be?"
Moth is still slightly confused by these visitors and their sudden appearance; Moth is curious and mumbles a bit to themselves, recognizing that the Guests are Human.
MOTH
"Well, you are an invasive species after all…"
Moth's head tilts as they survey the situation and speak to the Humans,
"We are invasive here... We are not meant for here, yet here we are.
The forest needs you to SEE.
The forest…. We don't have much time."
A thrumming can be heard and felt by the Humans.
The Moth's upper set of hands makes a tree form in the air above the humans.
"You must locate the Great Tree. We can take you below.
Look for sounds..."
-Moth's multiple hands move in a circular pattern-
"...They may appear like this..."
Moth gestures -the Humans see glyphs above Moth's hands while a pleasant tone is heard. The Moth's 3rd eye begins to glow.
"Look for them as they may help you... We are all connected."
Pointing at the Humans with one hand while sweeping upward with another hand and pointing to the left with one of their other hands, Moth tells the Humans,
"You must climb The Steps of Ganoderma to enter the Queendom to
find the Mycelial Entity. She will help you see."
Moth carefully studies each of the Humans,
"Will you do this?"
