The installation explores the intersection of art, science, and technology by creating a metaphorical digital twin of the "Wood Wide Web" – the global underground network of mycorrhizal fungi. It merges data sonification, 3D-printed ceramic sculptures, and fungal knowledge to immerse audiences in the symbiotic relationships within fungal communities and their ecological importance.
Central to the installation is a virtual map, forming the foundation of a physical experience. The soundscape, influenced by the polyphonic chant "Song for Gathering Mushrooms" from the Aka people of Central Africa, evolves through machine learning, shaped by biogeographical data of the mycorrhizal network.
The Fungi Oracle, an AI trained on mycorrhizal literature and inspired by books like "Entangled Life," synthesizes teachings on symbiosis, offering insights for human society. 3D-printed sculptures, based on fungi images from root samples in Estonia, serve as resonating chambers, merging into an immersive installation that highlights the ecological significance of mycorrhizal networks.
Biography
Marco Barotti is a media artist. After music studies at the Siena Jazz Academy, he began merging sound with visual art. His work is driven by a desire to invent an artistic language in which a fictional post-futurist era is expressed through kinetic sound interventions in natural and urban environments. His installations merge audio technology, consumer objects, and waste into moving sculptures triggered entirely by sound. The primary focus of his work is to create a “tech ecosystem” that plays with resemblances to animals and plants. These artworks serve as a metaphor for the anthropogenic impact on the planet and aim to make people aware of environmental and social issues.
Credits
FUNGI was created during the residency “S+T+ARTS Project Grin” in collaboration with Cineca and Kilowatt, Bologna.
Mycorrhizal research: Maarja Öpik, Tanel Vahter
DNA extractions & root staining, microscopy: Atefe Farshadi
EcoBank excerpts: Martti Vasar
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi database “Ecobank” provided by the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu
