Art Blocks Collection: Presents
Project Description: Mycelia explores the beauty and intricacy of mycelium.
Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branched, thread-like hyphae. In addition to playing a crucial role in the growth and reproduction of fungi, it also seems to interweave with nature at large.
Mycelia takes place in a similar domain to my previous works centered around the connection between math, music, art, and nature. What can we learn from nature's generative processes, and how could these be used in a digital environment? It is fascinating how something that seems to be such a simple algorithm can achieve such tremendous results.
In a similar way to the mycelium we find in nature, my virtual mycelia grows by extending its hyphae, absorbing nutrients, and breaking them down into energy. As the mycelium grows and matures, it forms a network of interconnected hyphae.
In a simplified way, every hypha has a core algorithm with the following instructions:
On top of the core algorithm, a few other things could happen:
A challenge with the project was how to achieve an aesthetic outcome that could please the eye. The solution was to find a way to generate the amount and position of nutrients in the ground. Influenced by how sound spreads through the air, the nutrients spread from a single point and are being pushed out in wave-shaped circles over time. The waves are built synthetically by mixing sine waves with different frequencies and amplitudes. This gives each layer of nutrients its own characteristics and rhythm.
To describe the age of the hypha, it changes color over time. When it's young, it picks the first color in the palette, and over time it gradually changes color until it reaches the end of its lifecycle.
As you venture deeper into the world of Mycelia you'll feel a sense of magic and wonder begin to envelop you. You'll be transported to a realm where the boundaries between the natural and digital worlds blur, and the true power of mycelium is revealed.
