Mind the Fungi in Collaboration with Dr. Erin Almand, US Airforce Academy,
2022
Mind the Fungi emerged from a collaborative laboratory investigation with Dr. Almand, in which we propagated a range of fungal species collected directly from the air of the lab. By exposing petri dishes to the ambient environment, airborne spores settled naturally onto nutrient-rich agar surfaces, revealing the otherwise invisible ecological life circulating around us. I prepared a series of custom-colored agar plates, allowing variations in pigmentation, growth patterns, and density to become visually legible. These plates function both as scientific cultures and aesthetic records—mapping microbial presence while prompting reflection on shared air, cohabitation, and the porous boundary between human-controlled spaces and nonhuman life.
