Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis

Tosca Terán, Sara Lisa Vogl & The Mycelial Network

Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis is a fully immersive, mixed reality experience working with living mycelium biodata-sonification within a VR environment. 

Point cloud data, scanned from Canadian coastal rainforests and Canadian Boreal Forests make-up the VR forest environment. Projection mapped floor and wall(s) around the VR space allow visitors within the installation, outside of the VR environment, to interact with the point cloud visuals by stepping on and touching the projection-mapped surfaces. These actions send data into the VR environment depicting Human impact within the forest environment. 

Living mycelium from locally cultivated fungi reacts and responds to the installation's Human presence while creating the forest’s generative soundscape. Human EEG influences the VR experience, along with tactile interfaces that are wall and floor mounted. The tactile interfaces connect to the living mycelium through proximity sensors, triggering light and vibratory motors that have been grown within the hypae. Haptic controllers and haptic vest bring touch and real-time reactions from the mycelium and forest responding to Human presence. Humans feel the fungi’s connections within the virtual forest environment. 

Boreal forests, or taiga, represent the largest terrestrial biome. Forests occupy approximately one-third of Earth's land area, account for over two-thirds of the leaf area of land plants and contain about 70% of carbon present in living things yet despite this significance, humankind continue to have an unbalanced, parasitic like relationship to this important biome.

Ultimately, it is up to the Humans and how they impact this delicate biome that determines how the non-humans react and respond. Whether the non-Humans choose to pair for Symbiosis, which can lead to evolution or Dysbiosis, which can end in a COVID-19 scenario, or worse.