Invisible Fungi
Invisible Fungi
Invisible Fungi is a VR experience that reveals the vital yet invisible role fungi play in our lives in a time of ecological degradation. It usually takes around a century for fungi to break down dead organic matter such as a tree log, a process the human eye never sees. The work compresses this slow decomposition into a two-and-a-half-minute, poetic and nearly abstract journey. It uses virtual reality to build empathy and a sense of connection with nature, especially for city dwellers who have lost touch with it.
The project builds on Visual Fungi Language, a speculative visual language between humans and fungi, inspired by Andrew Adamatzky's research on the electrical spiking activity of fungi. Its barcode-like symbols are based on binary code. They were then sonified by mapping each letter of the sentence "We are not alone" to a combination of piano keys, and this set the tone for the soundscape. The installation also includes Understory, a plant-based scent by Merle Bergers that evokes moss, pine and earth for a fully multisensory experience.
Fragrance: Merle Bergers, Understory Supervisors: Belle Phromchanya, Sonia de Jager, Carmen José Technical support: Vincent Boon Thanks to: Ziemniaki i Foundation (Josh Plough, Natalia Budnik, Adam Markuszewski, Noud Sleumer) and (A)WAKE (Shirin Mirachor, Salim Bayri, Reda Senhaji, Isabeau Vienerius)
© delab creative studio VR immersive installation 3D animation Sound design Artistic research Rotterdam, the Netherlands 2023
Awards: Best Immersive Application, Immersive Tech Week, Rotterdam, 2023 The Most Impactful Project, Immersive Tech Week, Rotterdam, 2023 Exhibitions: Invisible Matters, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, 2025 Art Park II: Voice of Nature, NDSM Treehouse, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2024 Audra festival, M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania, 2024 Invisible Fungi (solo exhibition), Slash Gallery / WORM, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 2024 Immersive Tech Week, De Doelen, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 2023 Graduation show, Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 2023 Press: Interview, 370 magazine, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2024
