Created during COVID self-isolation. Moon in Cancer was recorded during our August 15th live stream. Check it out over on https://nanotopia.bandcamp.com
Thanks for listening!

isolation

2019 Bigci Environmental Award

Finally hooked up a Mother. After chatting with Aga (Ferment Radio) I wondered why I hadn't tried this yet. I mean, really. 
Prior to setting the electrode probes into the SCOBY I did a little test with Apple cider vinegar and another with a bit of water just to see if the activity would be the same or similar- it was not.

Available for download, remix, etc.

SCOBY

Forest UnderSound is an invitation to consider the sentience of fungi. Sentience is the ability to perceive one’s environment, and experience sensations such as pain and suffering, or pleasure and comfort. Many countries acknowledge animal sentience, and animal’s ability to experience pain, fear, distress, hunger, and thirst, in their laws, which are designed to protect animals from such suffering. In 1997, the European Union agreed to recognize animals as sentient beings under European law.

Animals and fungi share a common ancestor and branched away from plants at some point aproximately 1.1 billion years ago. It was only later that animals and fungi separated on the genealogical tree of life, making fungi more closely related to humans than plants.

For Forest UnderSound, mycelium from Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi/Lingzhi) and Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushrooms), along with mycorrhizal fungi growing and connecting within the roots of various plants has been cultivated.

Both the plant roots and mycelium have electrodes connected to them that send biodata into purpose-built circuits, which detect micro-fluctuations in conductivity between 1,000-100,000 of a second. This biodata is then translated in realtime to control analog and digital synthesizers. Empirically, when fully connected and music is being generated, Mycelium consistently generates periodic patterns that are both enigmatic but also very musical. For reasons that I do not fully understand, Mycelium reacts to the proximity of some people more than others. Growing more frenetic or more harmonic or completely silent, when humans are present.

For the first iteration of Forest UnderSound fungi and plants will be allowed to grow over approximately 7 months, creating a real-time fungi forest soundscape. The soundscape will change over the seasons as the fungi and plants grow. During the 2021 Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall this soundscape will be recorded. Recordings take place on each of the 4 equinoxes. 

​

 

With support from: The Ontario Arts Council • A Space Gallery, Toronto • The Museum,  Kitchener Ontario

Forest UnderSound

The UnderSound: mid-Winter

Mycelia premiered as the opening performance for A MAZE. / Berlin festival 2021 in VRChat. A meta-immersive living mycelium musical entanglement. 

Nanotopia is known for hooking up fungi with electrodes and circuitry to record its various biodata and translating this biodata (often in real-time) through synthesisers both analog and digital. 
In 2020 Tosca Terán was an invited participant in the New Nature Climate Science Exchange hosted by the Goethe-Institute, curated by Samara Chadwick. Through this exchange with other like-minded artists, technologists and scientists Tosca presented a proposal towards bringing living fungi biodata into a VR environment, creating a macroscopic experience of human and nonhuman entanglements within a forest environment. Working project title: Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis. 
After the presentations Tosca and digital technologist Sara Lisa Vogl connected and later began work on the Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis project. Bringing in Neuroscientist/coder Brendan Lehman, Photogrammetric/new media artist Allison Moore, VR world builder Jason Stapleton, Sound designer Penelope Walcott, AR collaborator Peter Henderson, and early involved Arduino robot builder Lorena Salomé. Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis is generously funded by the Goethe-Institute Montreal, Canada Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council with sponsorship from bHaptics and ARTIVIVE.

Tosca and Sara Lisa thought it would be fun to participate in the A MAZE. / Berlin festival but knew the Sym/Dys project was far too large not to mention myriad COVID19 restrictions plus, looking at VRChat as a platform et viola! a Mycelia mood board branched out. Sara Lisa was introduced to the Meta Crew South Africa while working for SXSW and felt that this amazing group of creators might be interested in working on a Mycelia world - and they were!!

Concept for Mycelia was, of course, to bring living mycelium bio-sonification into VRChat with reactive audio aspects via a live human & nonhuman electronic music performance. Sara Lisa had been learning how to work with a Sports Pole in VR and thought she could add to the performance with an interpretive full-body tracked dance as spores above Tosca's avatar. 

Living mycelium and human performances have taken place for 
A MAZE. / Berlin
The Venice Film Festival 2021- VR Expanded 
and the Raindance Film Festival where Mycelia won the Spirit of the Festival award. 

nanotopia will be releasing the Mycelia performances soon. Here is a preview! 
xoxox 
Happy New Year 2022!

Performing Mycelia-preview

A start into Jamuary22 trying out a 3 patch challenge from Comparative Irrelevance. Maths/STØ/Rings  only here we do not use the STØ (bc we do not own one) in its place we used the VCO side of a Maneco Labs Grone Drone.. with a short visit from a Mother 32. 
Things grow dark fairly quickly, this is the way of the Grone! Letting go of 2021 heading into the future.. output just as time turned.

Groning into 2022

Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis: Sentience 
Live performance - Nanotopia pays homage to Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream and one of their favourite movies, Fantastic Planet. 

Imagine stepping into an old-growth forest, where your EEG data and the bioelectrical activity of living Mycelium influence the world around you. Symbiosis-Dysbiosis: Sentience is a groundbreaking immersive XR installation in which participants embark on a quest to connect with the Mycelial Entity at the heart of the interconnected forest. It offers a unique perspective on the delicate balance between humans and the non-human organisms around us.

Embark on an interactive journey where your choices determine the environment's response. Your decisions can lead to either symbiosis, fostering evolution and new awareness, or dysbiosis, resulting in a cascade of adverse outcomes. This dynamic experience places you at the heart of a living, breathing ecosystem, a powerful reminder that everything is interconnected and that your actions matter.

Symbiosis/Dysbiosis: Sentience invites audiences to slow down and experience an interconnected, psychedelic forest adventure through whimsical storytelling, live actors, and an evolving soundscape.  It reminds us that the future depends on our ability to recognize our connection to the non-human world.

Combining real-time fungal biodata streams with EEG data from Guests, haptic sensations, and scent emitters triggered by the living fungi create an environment where participants feel, perceive, and interact with the microscopic connections formed within us, on us, and around us. Within the expanded reality installation, Nanotopia creates an evolving Quadraphonic and 4D soundscape with living Mycelium that is directly connected to a custom synthesizer and bio-electrically connected to the virtual environment.
Actors, embodying the spirits of the forest, will guide you through this immersive experience, making you feel like an integral part of the narrative.

Live performance took place for Earth Modular Society
https://youtu.be/E0iLBkuhH-s?si=n2RD3fr7xnAhmDL0

Full album coming 2025!



Rainforest

Well, Danny* has been on our minds lately, somewhat due to working this past Venice Film Festival Immersive as a World Hop tour guide and the cacophony and fun chaos around being an Immersive Tour Guide.
Our pal, Manglebird, is the programmer in chief for the Venice Immersive World Hops, primarily on the social VR platform VRChat. VRC allows artists, creatives and Devs to create and publish worlds and experiences to the VRChat global community. From DJ-driven club scenes, deep, immersive, otherworldly environments, and extra-terrestrial realms to physics-breaking realities!
You name it; it can likely be found on VRChat. So it is also likely no coincidence that Manglebird's primary avatar is the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland....just a bit demented, looking like they've spent too much tea time with the Mad Hatter. ;)

VRChat psychedelia - also known as Shaders, VFX are wild, like taking psychedelics without the nausea and hangover.

Anywho, Nanotopia here playing with Euclidean rhythms, sub-harmonics and the lovely Shakmat Dual Dagger filter with the System80 Jove filter. Here is our stab at some form of Psy.

Enjoy!


*Danny and the Camberwell Carrot from Withnail & I
:)

released October 18, 2023 on Bandcamp

Psy-what?! Mangled World Hop

Track from 
Symbiosis/\Dysbiosis: Sentience
Scene One: MOTH

THE GUESTS FIND THEY HAVE EMERGED FROM CHRYSALIS WITHIN A DENSE FOREST. STRANGE SOUNDS AND LOW-FREQUENCIES SURROUND THEM. A DENSE FOG FILLS THE AREA. AS THE GUESTS COME TO TERMS WITH THEIR NEW SURROUNDINGS, THEY HEAR SINGING-LIKE SOUNDS NOT TOO FAR FROM WHERE THEY STAND THAT DRAW THEIR ATTENTION TO THEIR RIGHT. FLOATING IN THE AIR IS A GIANT SILK MOTH TURNING TO FACE THE GUESTS. THE MOTH'S LARGE BLACK EYES GLEAM AS THEIR ANTLER-LIKE ANTENNAE GENTLY TURN.

(surprised to see humans emerging from their chrysalis, Moth wonders aloud)
"...How have YOU come to be?"
Moth is still slightly confused by these visitors and their sudden appearance; Moth is curious and mumbles a bit to themselves, recognizing that the Guests are Human.

MOTH
"Well, you are an invasive species after all…"
Moth's head tilts as they survey the situation and speak to the Humans,
"We are invasive here... We are not meant for here, yet here we are. 
The forest needs you to SEE.
The forest…. We don't have much time."

A thrumming can be heard and felt by the Humans.
The Moth's upper set of hands makes a tree form in the air above the humans.
"You must locate the Great Tree. We can take you below.
Look for sounds..."
-Moth's multiple hands move in a circular pattern-
"...They may appear like this..."
Moth gestures -the Humans see glyphs above Moth's hands while a pleasant tone is heard. The Moth's 3rd eye begins to glow. 
"Look for them as they may help you... We are all connected."

Pointing at the Humans with one hand while sweeping upward with another hand and pointing to the left with one of their other hands, Moth tells the Humans,
"You must climb The Steps of Ganoderma to enter the Queendom to 
find the Mycelial Entity. She will help you see."
Moth carefully studies each of the Humans,
"Will you do this?" 

The Steps of Ganoderma

Midnight Mushroom Music. Tune in Saturday nights & float into the Mycelium network. Non-human lullabies. Non-human music collaborations.
Mycelium midi bio sonification.
First experiments placing electrodes onto mycelium, which send impulses that are converted to Midi. This Midi data is then plugged into AniMoog. Mycelium Music.

Mycelium Network 

Myco

Mycelium Music

Soft pulse until around 3:49 then Mycelium lit up the board. We believe this occurred due to one of our cats coming into the room. Back to drones...

Mycelium Network

Mycelium Music Epiphenomenon 1

Cultivating Physarum polycephalum aka the 'many-headed' slime towards musical/sound expression. Uncertain what, if any pulses the Slime would send out once the electrodes were attached. For this episode we sent the electrical impulses straight into a øCoast (Make Noise) routed (patched) through several Moog Mother32's recording live into Abelton. That is our only influence here. Curiously the Slime seemed to have a very consistent tone center. After a bit we introduced Slime to Mycelium (which keeps growing btw) and this sort of pentatonic scale happened. Dialogue between the Mycelium & Slime. Heads-up, this episode is bright- if you are wearing headphones be mindful. Not so lullaby.

Episode 3: special guest, Physarum polycephalum

Tonight's episode we dug deep, literally. The electrodes were buried in the spring soil amongst worms, mycelium, bulbs and whatever else happened along. Windchime, fairy tale to deep squelchy vibrations. Headphones are best for this in order to hear all of the nuances. Thank you for listening to Midnight Mushroom Music!

Episode 4: Soil Festivities

For this session I sent the Midi into a MeeBlip Anode and Triode. The Mycelium recorded here has been growing since February. Now it appears Physarum polycephalum is starting to grow on the Mycelium… I think one of the electrodes from my last session must have had slime on it. Oops! Hopefully they aren’t in a battle here, but the sounds tonight are a bit different. Tonight I hooked up two different sets of electrodes to the Mycelium, running through two different circuit boards, that translate the Mycelium impulses to Midi. A friend was visiting and during recording this friend fell asleep on the studio floor. So, I hooked up one set of electrodes to my friend! Haha. They snored away, without even noticing. At this point the Mycelium send out different impulses! More harmonic, if you will. Were the Mycelium aware of my friend? Who knows!?  
Next week’s episode will be live recorded during the University of Toronto’s, Science Rendezvous! If you happen to be in Toronto make sure to visit 100 Saint George Street, Nanotopia and the Mycelium Network will be in Sidney Smith Hall, Room 1070. 
Thanks for tuning in!

Episode 5

Episode 5: Human vs Non-Human

Leading up to our installation taking place this Saturday, May 12 2018
I wanted to conduct a Human test; hooking myself up to one of the Midi boards. This Saturday during the University of Toronto's Science Rendezvous (Nanotopia: Sidney Smith Hall, Rm 1070) We will invite visitors to interact and collaborate musically with the Mycelium, Slime mould, and flora. Thanks so much for tuning in!

Human Interface

Special Episode: Human Interface

Science Rendezvous! Further details at www.toscateran.com or iTunes Midnight Mushroom Music Podcast

Science Rendezvous

Episode 6: UofT Science Rendezvous

After a day of rest we are back to MIDI and Bio-Sonifications. This afternoon I have had various mosses hooked up with electrodes and the slime mould growing on the agar heart! Which will upload this Wednesday! Meanwhile, I am sifting through the midi data looking for patterns...

Moss Saw

Episode 7: SciRen pt2 picks up where we left off last weekend during the Science Rendezvous in Toronto. The 'percolating' sounds are the Bryophytes while the more rhythmic patterns are of the Mycelium. In between, you will occasionally hear blips, bleeps and bloops. These sounds are coming from the Humans that bravely allowed us to hook them up into the Network. While not extraordinarily musical perhaps interesting. Thanks again for tuning in! Next Saturday's episode features the Mycelium with Moog's new Sub-Harmonicon. Part of Nanotopia is currently attending Moogfest. Yay for them! ;)

Episode 7: SciRen pt2

Greetings from Iceland! Mycelium is growing on Kenaf substrate, I hooked up electrodes this evening and am surprised by the activity. Perhaps it has to do with the constant light here? Almost 24/hr sun, it is very tricky to block out. Thank you SO much for listening :) Hope you will subscribe or follow our Midnight Mushroom Music podcast. Instagram: @nanopodstudio @MothAntler  xo

Episode X: Kenaf

episode X: Kenaf Substrate

This evening I went up into the hills a bit. Just behind Gullkistan Centre for Creativity. There amongst the birch (Björk), geraniums and wild flowers a multitude of moss and lichen grow. Tonight two sessions are being uploaded. 
Session number 2. Laugarvatn mushroom. 
Ever so gently place an electrode onto a tiny mushroom peering out of the moss and lichen.
This is what mushroom had to say.

Iceland

Wee Mushroom

WeeMushroom

This episode brings me to the last recording in Laugarvatn with the Mycelium. I recorded the Mycelium's bio electrical activity during the Blood moon-lunar eclipse, what would be the longest lunar eclipse in the 21st century. As the eclipse took place a giant rainbow filled the sky above Hekla. It was an incredible moment.

Niceland 

Laugarvatn-Mycelium

For the past week, I've been working with Krell patches on a NoCoast. Bringing midi in from the Bio-Sonification module I first started by hooking my self up (via electrodes). This evening's Krell patch has midi coming in from a large block of Mycelium. Patching the Krell into a Korg SQ-1 and Werkstatt 01 I turned off all the lights and left the room.. allowing the Mycelium to do its thing.  All of these September 'experimentations' are towards the performance taking place Saturday, September 29th during Nuit Blanche Toronto. https://www.facebook.com/events/1763778620414561/

Midi Shroom

Sitting in the Mushroom Haus this morning, plating specimen. The Blue Oyster mushrooms are growing off the charts! I had to listen to them :)

Blue Oysters

Rehearsing as much as possible with the Mycelium, with each other towards our September 29 performance. Here we have the Mycelium sending voltage out to 3 Mothers through a NoCoast into a Subharmonicon and Minitaur. Krell squared.

To the power of 32

Sunrise-scarlets

Early morning biodata recordings of Banksia serrata aka Old Man Banksia/Saw-tooth Banksia
Artist residency 16, August 2019 to 16, October 2019.  Blue Mountains World Heritage site Wollemi National Park.
2019 Bigci Environmental Award. 
@MothAntler

Banksia serrata

Out collecting biodata I wandered into Wollemi's Gardens of Stone.
The Scribbly Gum is a magnificent tree. Its bark is an iridescent blue, graphic as if someone painted it camouflage patterns in multiple shades of graphite. The particular Scribbly that called to me grew out of what appeared to be a giant root bulb, split in two at the top, identical twins. Walking around this 'bulb' I discovered the tree had quite literally been split open! The bulb appeared 3 dimensional from one side, however, the other side revealed the bulb to be a shell perhaps 15cm thick. All blackened, charred- but from what? The rest of the tree and bulb had no sign of fire, only this odd, cave-like interior. The tree(s) lived on, thrived. 
I sat with the twins, watching the sunset over the mountains, bringing the rain.

Sunset - Scribbly

Bio-data recording from a Wollemi clone. 
Wollemia is a genus of coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. Wollemia was only known through fossil records until the Australian species Wollemia nobilis was discovered in 1994 in a temperate rainforest wilderness area of the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales, in a remote series of narrow, steep-sided sandstone gorges 150 km north-west of Sydney. The genus is named for the National Park.
The Wollemi Pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest plants, with less than 100 adult trees known to exist in the wild, the Wollemi Pine is now the focus of extensive research to safeguard its survival. Wollemi pine, although it is not a true pine (genus Pinus) nor a member of the pine family (Pinaceae), but, rather, is related to Agathis and Araucaria in the family Araucariaceae. The oldest fossil of the Wollemi tree has been dated to 200 million years ago.

Wollemi Pine

Its been raining up in the Blue Mountains- which is a good thing! Out early morning Wednesday, Sept 18th and I found giant Cauliflower-like, slightly Lion's Mane-ish fungi under gum trees. Turns out these giant fungus clumps are Laetiporus portentosus. Here's what Wiki has to say: Laetiporus portentosus is a species of polypore fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae. It is found in South America, Australia, and New Zealand. It has been used traditionally as a tinder and to carry fire by Australian Aboriginals, and by New Zealand Māori people. The Māori have also used it as a "wound protector, to soften and ease a difficult labor.
The white-throated treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea) has been recorded feeding on this fungus in a heathy dry forest in Victoria.

Super happy to find this mushie, I set to recording its biodata and here ya go! Thank for listening!

Laetiporus portentosus

Live stream Midnight Mushroom Music • May 30th, 2020

Ganoderma lucidum biodata recorded in realtime - translated into MIDI & CV into Mutable Instruments Yarns which in turn sent this data into various Synth voices: Plaits, Braids, Clouds, Mother32, Erica synths Black Wave Table and more... contemplative. The Mycelium sounds mutated over time into some ear piercers and pitch shifts, we just allowed it to do its thing. Reactive/generative TouchDesigner visuals were created to go along with the live stream and can be viewed on Instagram (10+min clip) @MothAntler or Youtube: https://youtu.be/HQkNj5YA9yQ

Thanks for tuning into the Mycelium Network!

Now Means Nothing

Solstice Live Stream from
June 20th, 2020 5:30 PM EDT 
Into the New Nature 

Travelling without moving into the Mycelium Network with Nanotopia. 
Mycelium bio-sonification through modular synthesis. Electrodes are placed within Ganoderma lucidum aka Reishi.  The electrodes detect micro fluctuations in conductivity between 1000 t0 100000 of a second. This biodata is then translated to MIDI & CV enabling Humans to hear the Mycelium. 
Relax into the Mycelium Network... 
 
Prior to lift-off we will show our set-up and then fade into reactive TouchDesigner visuals. Thank you for tuning in. 
Generative TouchDesigner visuals react/respond to the mycelium biodata.

Spaceship controls: 
Flute/Pluck/Bow/Percussive sounds= Mutable instruments Plaits & clones: Atom & Piques
Paths, branches, roots = Qu-Bit's amazing Bloom (fractal sequencer)
Make Noise= Morphagene, René, Tempi, Pressure Points
Along with= Pittsburgh Instruments, Doepfer, Moog(s), Korg (keystep to Mother32), Erica Synths.

Visuals both chance & purposeful: 
Mermaid painting= @sarah_gravel on insta 
Images used in TouchDesigner Mycelium network: 
Tardigrade footage= @atinyworldorg on insta/twitter
NASA, Planet Earth, nanotopia.

Follow us on Instagram: @nanotopia_net  @MothAntler @Nanotopian
Support artistic efforts: https://www.patreon.com/nanotopia_net

Midnight Mushroom Music: Into The New Nature

4. MooninCancer

3. Apongo

2. Mothers2

1. IntoTheVoid

Back in August 2020 I started cultivating Pleurotus djamor towards a presentation for the Remote Realities residency awarded to myself and technologist/collaborator Sara Lisa Vogl (regarding Symbiosis/Dysbiosis). After the presentation I gently placed the Pink oyster mushrooms aside. Last week, while exiting my music/sound making studio I noticed "Pinkie" and !! there was this beautiful mass of pink oysters emerging out of its grow bag. After apologising profusely I brought Pinkie back into the music studio and started recording. The Electrodes had been left within the mycelium, which is what I usually do. Here are the results of that music session. Hope you enjoy!

Unexpected Visitors

Creating immersive sensory experiences🌲music + biomaterials often in collaboration with fungi 🍄🎶

Interested in working with us or licensing our music? 
It is highly appreciated you kindly reach out to us prior to ripping our audio. 
Our music (mycelium, tree derived or otherwise) posted online here, or through Tidal, Bandcamp, Spotify, etc., is registered with SOCAN.
Reach out through, www.nanotopia.net
Thanks!

©Nanotopia 21st century

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