All living creatures are... the same body, the same life and the same self, continually passing from form to form, from subject to subject, from existence to existence.
(Coccia, 2021)
All living creatures are... the same body, the same life and the same self, continually passing from form to form, from subject to subject, from existence to existence.
(Coccia, 2021)
Exhibition: MA Art and Ecology’s Interim Show
Venue: Laurie Grove Baths, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
Year: 2023
"Emptiness" (2023) is a series of glazed stoneware sculptures of variable dimensions. Inspired by lichenicolous fungi, these pieces prompt an exploration of complex biological roles: Are they saprotrophic, parasitic, pathogenic, or endolithic? Perhaps all of these? This work encourages us to pause and consider the deeper meaning behind these biological interactions and our labels for them.
"Moss or Lichen?" (2023) is an installation featuring oakmoss, oak gall, and acorn dyeing on rice paper, each panel measuring 190 x 45 cm.
Similarly, "The alternation of yin and yang" (2023) presents monoprints (12 x 12 cm each) of black stone flower.
Both of these installations lead to a core inquiry: What do we truly understand by names like "oakmoss" or "black stone flower"? Are they 'flowers', 'mosses', 'plants', 'fungi', or 'algae'? Ultimately, are they 'lichens'? This work asks us to look beyond conventional categories and reflect on the fluidity and interconnectedness of nature.