#5 Was given to the fifth minter of the art project Mycelia, released on Artblocks the 23rd of August, 2023.

November 2022, in the early stages of developing my art project Mycelia, I made an important discovery. Suddenly, I was able to transform my chaotic-growing mycelium into something aesthetic. From the previous tangle of threads, patterns and figures began to emerge, tickling my thoughts.

My discovery was that the patterns of the mycelium were largely determined by how the artificial nutrients I spread out were placed.

I tried numerous different algorithms for distributing nutrients. This art project is based on the first algorithm that truly surprised me. It was when I saw the result of it that I, for the first time, understood that I was on the right track, that my abstract idea would come to fruition.

The reason I didn't pursue it further back then was that I only got exciting results when working with one color.

In the midst of the project, I began to explore laser engraving. Since many types of fungi thrive in symbiosis with trees, the idea of returning the virtual mycelium to nature arose. The technique allows for burning very thin lines into wood, which is perfect for my mycelium consisting of numerous thin threads.

Find out more at jmy.art