The Fungi Trap: Creating Mycelium Objects
Ana Laura Cantera’s work at CARBON, Territorial Inhalations, was centred around a device created along with mycelia (the networks of fungal threads which grow underground) designed to capture and examine the particulate matter suspended in the air we breathe.
At her workshop, Cantera, proposed making objects from sustainable biomaterials as a way of reducing our carbon footprint as well as creating new materials. By creating these objects, participants tracked through the weeks and months of CARBON, the changes in the mycelia and the responses it displayed while absorbing particulate matter.
About the Artist
Ana Laura Cantera is a transmedia artist, researcher and professor. She works at the intersection of art, technology, science, and sustainability from a decolonial perspective. She is currently a PhD candidate in Arts and Technoesthetics and has a Master's degree in Electronic Arts at National University of Tres de Febrero, a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts and a degree as Art Teacher at University of Arts (UNA).
Cantera is a developer and creator of biomaterials, specialising in designs grown from mushroom mycelium and in biobased materials made with local waste. Recently, she received the First Prize Itaú in the Robotic Arts category and the Global Community Bio Fellows fellowship at MIT. She also leads research projects linked to biointeractivity and 3D bioprinting. She has exhibited her artworks in exhibitions and festivals across the world.