Artists Geneviève Rocher and Éric Filteau will be gracing the Symposium's main hall with their work En suspension for the duration of the event. They will be on hand on Saturday, July 27 to present their work to visitors.
The molded elements that make up the sculpture are made from mycelium, the root of the mushroom. To recreate the optimal conditions for growing mycelium above ground and to control its growth, the artists use a substrate made of sawdust. This is inoculated with a fungus, and then placed in a mold where the mycelium begins to grow in the sawdust. Its roots form a tight weave which, as it grows, becomes a solid material. After ten days or so, the piece is removed from the mold and left to dry, to stop the fungus developing and make the material durable. To create unique elements, we add different-colored papers or painted fabrics to the basic substrate in varying quantities, depending on the piece.
