The theme of Helsinki Biennial in 2025 was Shelter, aimed to question human dominance by giving a voice to non-human actors such as plants, animals, fungi, elements and minerals.
As part of Paul Rosero Contreras’ installation The Garden of Forking Paths, a form was grown in collaboration with Ganoderma lucidum mycelium. The shape of the artwork was inspired by a type of moss that grows in the Ecuadorian Andes, in the home country of the artist.
The 2.5 x 1.5 x 1 m sculpture was grown in six modules at our studio over a period of 2-3 weeks, by placing a layer of myceliated sawdust to grow over a wooden structure. It was then brought to the island of Vallisaari off the coast of Helsinki, where the organism would keep slowly evolving over the course of the biennial. The reishi mycelium spawn was kindly donated by Kääpä Biotech.