Thesis Research Proposal

Through my research-based studio practice I am exploring concepts of uncertainty in human relations with fungi and the potential for these relations to present new ways of making and being in the world.

Being neither plant nor animal, fungi confounded early attempts at taxonomic categorization.  The Swedish botanist, Linnaeus, baffled by spores or “seeds” that displayed both plant and animal characteristics under the microscope, placed fungi in relegated these organisms to a category called chaos.  It wasn’t until much later that these organisms were separated into a kingdom called fungi.  This kingdom is highly complex and diverse with many species still to be identified.

This paucity of scientific knowledge coupled with growing indications that fungi play in integral role in maintaining healthy ecosystems indicates the potential for further research and exploration outside of typical practices of constituting and validating knowledge. In my studio practice, this involves an exploration of alternative ways of understanding the complexity of human and non-human relations.  Along with theorists such as Donna Haraway, I would suggest that humans are engaged in dynamic compositions with a complex range of organisms such as fungi despite a general lack of awareness of these relations.  My art-based research is focused on creating both an awareness of these relations and alternative methods for meeting the complexity of those relations.

My research activities involve exploring current mycological practices in commercial, hobbyist and academic contexts in an effort to better understand a range of current human relations with fungi.  These activities include forays to search for mushrooms for the purposes of identification and collection with the Vancouver Mycological Society, visits to the UBC Herbarium Fungi collection and mycology labs as well as the large mushroom farming operations.