archiemcphee:Look closely, these frilly mushrooms are made of...
Look closely, these frilly mushrooms are made of books. Although they look like something Alice might’ve encountered during her adventures in Wonderland, they’re the creation of Chicago-based visual artist Melissa Jay Craig. Entitled (S)Edition, this delightfully strange installation features 99 books made to look like common Amanita muscaria mushrooms. Each bookshroom is made of cast and hand-shaped abaca, also known as manilla help, embellished with cotton rag paper.
From Craig’s artist statement about this installation:
Fungus is an agent of change. I’m fascinated with its myriad forms, and I love to go in search of it. I can become more excited by discovering a beautiful fungal growth than by perusing artwork ‘discovered’ for us by curators in contemporary museums. When I was a child, the first time I had the intriguing feeling that the planet carried messages (texts, if you will) for those who were curious enough to look, was when I came upon a group of Amanita Muscaria, huddled together in a dark, secret space under tall pines.
Visit Melissa Jay Craig’s website for additional photos of her fascinating fungal books and to check out some of her other creations as well.
[via Colossal]
