We Know You Are Here

In 1997, ecologist Suzanne Simard discovered vast systems of fungal structures underneath the forest floor. These systems, called Mycelium or Mycorrhizal networks, are made of millions of interconnected hyphae – small fungal threads. These threads attach to the roots of trees and other plants, connecting them to each other. What was shocking about Simard’s discovery wasn’t that these structures exist – but rather what they are used for. Mycelium networks send electrical impulses from the roots of one plant to another. Trees use these impulses to communicate information and share resources. They can send distress signals about impending threats such as disease or insect attack, convey genetic memory and communicate a need for resources.¹ Mycelium networks function similarly to neural networks in humans, forming a sort of giant brain found in over 90% of plant life on Earth.²

This painting, titled “We Know You Are Here” illustrates the vastness of Mycelium networks, and highlights their similarities to the human brain. The painting is split: the upper half showing the beautiful, sunny world that humans experience, and the lower half representing the bizarre, incredible world that lies invisible beneath our feet. The structure represented in the lower half of the painting is a mycelium structure. Though these structures are typically very small, sometimes too small to be detected by the human eye, they can stretch for miles. In fact, the largest living organism on Earth is a mycelium structure. Therefore, I chose to zoom in on the structure, so viewers can fully appreciate the vastness of these beings and observe their neuron-like formation. The mycelium is lit up beneath the girls, representing the mycellium’s ability to detect above-ground stimuli affecting the plants that it connects. Viewers can see similar structures, neural networks, lit up in the girls’ brains. These highlighted systems are the basis for the work’s title: while we are aware of the existence of the mycelium, it is also aware of us. “We Know You Are Here” is a statement from both the perspective of the girls and the mycelium beneath them, two beings aware of each other’s presence.

¹ https://e360.yale.edu/features/exploring_how_and_why_trees_talk_to_each_other
² https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/10/hidden-world-fungi-life-earth