The sound of mushrooms, music from fungi, by Michael Prime

These sounds were produced by living fungi, Shitake mushrooms still attached to their mycelial bodies. A mushroom is actually the fruiting body of a fungus, the ‘body’ of which consists of the mycelium, a network of rootlike structures that run through substrate (the log, compost, sawdust etc.). A mushroom still connected to a growing mycelium produces a varied and interesting rhythm, while a mushroom that has been picked produced only a static tone. All living organisms produce a faint electrical current, which constantly fluctuates according to the state of the organism. This current can be amplified and used as a control signal for an oscillator, producing a sound which directly reflects the state of the organism. For my installation “Ha, Ha! Your Mushrooms Have Gone?“, fungi actively growing on their original substrate were housed in glass tanks, to preserve optimal humidity. Visitors to the installation were able to hear the sounds of different living fungal cultures, which changed as new specim