LOS ANGELES — A 24-hour-a-day livestream invites viewers to watch Italian oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus pulmonarius) bloom as part of a larger documentary project from filmmaker Laura Reich.
The livestream features living sculptures by textile artist Minga Opazo, whose practice focuses on the intersection of fashion, textiles and science. Working exclusively with discarded garments, Opazo is researching mycoremediation as a potential response to the environmental impact of textile waste.
Mycoremediation is a form of bioremediation in which fungi are used to break down contaminants in soil. The process has been studied for its potential to break down pollutants such as petroleum and diesel.
Opazo applies mycelium — the root-like structure of fungi — to her textile-waste sculptures and layers the mycelium-coated fabrics with soil, part of her larger search for a solution to the growing textile-waste crisis.
In 2018, an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste was generated and sent to landfills in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Research from McKinsey & Co. has estimated that garments are often discarded after only seven or eight uses.
“Chile is one of the countries that receives a large portion of the world's textile waste. Much of it is illegally dumped in the Atacama desert — so vast that it can be seen from space,” says Opazo. “Through my practice, I hope to shed light on the textile industry's waste practices and work toward finding real solutions to this problem.”
The livestream is part of a larger documentary project by Reich, which examines Opazo's work alongside the science behind mycoremediation, highlighting the intersection of art and science as a means toward large-scale change.
“We're capturing a timelapse of the mushroom growth and I thought it might be interesting to share a livestream while we do that,” Reich said. “I'm hopeful it will spark curiosity into what Minga is doing and the documentary we're making, while giving people a meditative break in their day.”
Donations to support the documentary can be made via the project's fiscal sponsor, E2AC. Watch the livestream here.
