Documentary Livestream Features Mushrooms Breaking Down Textile Waste In Real Time
A 24-hour-a-day livestream features living mushroom sculptures by artist Minga Opazo as part of a larger documentary project from filmmaker Laura Reich.
LOS ANGELES, CA - 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 where fungi are used to break down contaminants in soil. The process has been studied for its potential to break down pollutants such as petroleum or diesel.
Opazo applies mycelium (the root-like structure of fungi) to her textile waste sculptures and layers the mycelium-coated fabrics with soil. This is part of her larger search to find 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 filmmaker Laura Reich, which examines Opazo’s work alongside the science behind mycoremediation. The project aims to increase public understanding of textile waste while documenting emerging approaches to material reuse and degradation. It highlights 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.”
The livestream is intended to generate interest in Opazo’s work and to support the ongoing production of the documentary. Donations can be made to the documentary via the project’s fiscal sponsor E2AC link.
About the Artist - Minga Opazo Minga Opazo is a fourth-generation textile crafter who explores the relationship between climate change, contemporary textile production, and Chilean textile history and design. Born in Chile, Minga immigrated to Los Angeles at the age of 16. Opazo recent works, questions the textile industry by creating a series of cultural works that explore the idea of solastalgia, a term which describes the mental or existential distress caused by environmental change and living in an era of excess, constantly consuming and throwing away.In her practice, she is dedicated to research the textile industry further and to create work that exposes, reflects and finds a solution to the current situation of the textile waste industry. She completed her BFA at University of California, Berkeley in 2016 and her MFA at California Institute of the Arts, 2020. Opazo exhibited works across the US and Latino America, including the Museum of Visual art of Santiago, Chile, ACRE gallery in Chicago and the Bunker Art Space, The Sheperd Detroit. In Los Angeles, her work has been shown at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture Gallery, Sargent Daughters West, Various Small Fires. She has been awarded with various residency including Banff art center, ACRE residency and Haystack mountain school of craft, Anderson Ranch Art center, Mass Moca and Bemis Art center. She recently had her work published at Artforum, Lum art magazine and American Science magazine.
About the Filmmaker - Laura Reich Laura Reich is a filmmaker creating narrative, documentary, episodic, and branded content. She produced the award-winning short documentary STATUS PENDING, directed by Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz, which premiered at Big Sky Film Festival, screened as part of NBC’s Meet The Press Showcase at AFI, and was broadcast as part of the Aljazeera Witness series. She was an associate producer on the PBS American Masters project RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT, directed by Mariem Pérez Riera, now streaming on Netflix. She produced the feature films ALL SORTS, directed by John R Castaneda, and KEPT BOY, directed by George Bamber. She’s worked in livestreaming with projects like THE SUSHI DRAGON SHOW STARRING THE SUSHI DRAGON, SITUATION: CODEMIKO, and most recently RED BULL NEW GAME. While mainly working as a producer, she recently finished her first narrative short, horror THE MAN IN THE SKY WON’T LET ME SLEEP. She’s 2025 WIF Independent Producing Fellow and board member of Women Independent Producers. Her work has been featured at Sundance, Raindance, and the Smithsonian.
**Watch the stream: ** https://www.youtube.com/@AfterimageStudioFlow/live
Documentary donation link: https://donate.mazloweb.com/donate/FUDWqL3nsS95R975ySQb4G
Social Media: @ljrei @mingaopazo
Press Contact: AfterimageStudioWarp@gmail.com
