Fluid sculpture – A way to present mycelia?

Artist Charlie Bucket made this sculpture as a prototype for a “fluid dress” he showed at the 2009 Maker Faire in San Mateo, California. This sculpture is mesmerizing. We have begun thinking about ways to present mycelia in our sculptural installation this fall as part of the Oregon Mushroom Stories project. I thought this could be a fun direction, maybe hanging the tubing in a web-like design; the colored fluid would represent the nutrients that the mycelia deliver to the plant and trees roots.

[Fluid Sculpture from Charlie Bucket on Vimeo.]

This piece inspires me to look more deeply at how we might use everyday materials to make something really entertaining and surprising. There is so much movement in the piece. It really holds your attention! I love how the colors change, and how the fluid inside starts slowly, with just bubbles of color that lead to a full flow.

–Stef Choi

[You can learn more about Charlie Bucket at casualprofanity.com.

The music in this video is by The Amazing Rolo, the very person who made the phenomenal Secret Sound of Spores installation we wrote about here.]