A new exhibition exploring the hidden world of fungi is opening in Brighton next week, featuring sculptures grown from living fungal networks, mushroom-spore prints, film, sound and performance.
Deeper Than Fungi brings together the work of three artists, including University of Brighton Fine Art graduates Tianna Horbury and Edward Leyton, alongside Cambridge-based artist Josh Read.
The free exhibition will run at the Fishing Quarter Gallery, in Kings Road Arches, from Tuesday 25 August until Sunday 30 August.
Organisers say the exhibition aims to encourage visitors to look beyond the mushrooms commonly seen above ground and explore the much larger fungal networks that exist beneath the surface.
At the centre of the exhibition is mycelium, the network of fine fungal threads which grows underground and through other materials.
Brighton-based artist Tianna Horbury has created sculptures using living mycelium, as well as drawings and prints produced by allowing mushrooms to release their spores directly onto a surface.
She said: “What fascinated me about fungi was discovering just how much there is to it beyond the mushrooms we see. When I discovered mycelium during my studies, I realised there was this whole hidden network that most people know very little about.
“I wanted to bring some of that world into the gallery and give people a chance to experience it for themselves. I hope the exhibition makes people curious – and that they leave seeing fungi, and perhaps nature as a whole, a little differently.”
The exhibition also includes work by Edward Leyton, whose practice incorporates film, performance, illustration, sound design, photography and costume.
He said: “My time at Brighton gave me the freedom to explore different ways of expressing my ideas and to discover my love of live performance, which has since become a much bigger part of my practice.
“That freedom to be curious and try new things has stayed with me, and I’m looking forward to bringing that multidisciplinary approach to Deeper Than Fungi and exploring the hidden world of fungi through film, performance and sound.”
The project has received a £500 grant from Grow Wild, the national community programme run by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Visitors will also be able to take part in free drop-in mushroom-printing workshops, creating their own artwork using mushroom spores.
Deeper Than Fungi will be open to the public at the Fishing Quarter Gallery from 11am until 5pm between Tuesday 25 and Sunday 30 August.
The free mushroom-printing workshops will take place on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday between midday and 3pm.
Entry to the exhibition is free.
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