Presented at the inaugural Helsinki Biennial 2021 as a commission by the Helsinki Art Museum.
Teemu Lehmusruusu’s hybrid artwork House of Polypores integrates natural processes and biomaterials research with site-sensitive sonic sculpture. Through self-built sensors, it taps into the nearby decaying trees and converts their vibrations into a resonating sonic experience that porously fuses with the environmental sounds. The installation combines mycotecture – a structure made of mushrooms and an organic growth medium – with custom-made electronics and naturally decaying wood. The work is powered by solar energy, transforming it into a standalone system to speculatively communicate with the multispecies environment largely beyond human sensory perception.
House of Polypores, 2021
Mycelium structures, rotting wood, organ pipes, sensors, solar power
Composer: Antti Tolvi
Sound Designer: Markus Heino
Mycelium Technology: Mogu
Thank You: Kone Foundation, Sunwind, Biofilia Laboratory, Kunstventures
Commissioned by HAM/Helsinki Biennial 2021.