In recent years, fashion has shifted towards more sustainable materials: for example, mycelium emerged at the forefront of experimental projects, fashion collections, interior design, and even art. Lebanese American artist Nour Mobarak has actually been one of the mycelium pioneers since she has been working with it since 2017 - well before it gained popular appeal. In her latest work, now on display at New York City's MoMA, she explores a new dimension by combining mycelium with sound.
The large-scale installation, titled "Dafne Phono" (on view until January 12, 2025, in MoMA's Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio), is inspired by "Dafne", the first known opera. This opera, originally staged in December 1598 at Florence's Palazzo Tornabuoni by composer Jacopo Peri with a libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini, draws from Ovid's "Metamorphoses". The myth tells of Apollo's pursuit of Daphne, who transforms into a laurel tree to escape his advances; other characters include Venus, Cupid, Apollo, and a messenger, Nunzio.
While "Dafne" was originally performed with instruments like the harpsichord, lute, and flute, only the libretto survives today. You don't need to be an opera expert to appreciate Mobarak's work, though: here, opera serves as a metaphor for transformation and a lens for exploring linguistics and language. "Dafne Phono" is indeed a sculptural interpretation of opera, in which Mobarak explores how human voices are shaped by societal forces, while migration and cultural change influence the phonetic landscape.
Mobarak's installation features a series of mycelium sculptures representing the opera's main characters, each emitting unique sound recordings of the opera. While the original work aimed to create music from spoken language, Mobarak revives the lost opera by recording the libretto in various languages - Abkhaz, San Juan Quiahije Eastern Chatino, Silbo Gomero, Latin, Italian, and !Xoon. This selection was carefully considered: Mobarak conducted research and consulted the Smithsonian's linguistic division for insight on the world's most phonetically complex languages, and they suggested to check out Chatino, !Xoon, and Abkhaz.
The translation and recording process varied for each language. For some, like Abkhaz, remote collaboration sufficed, while others required travel. Mobarak worked directly with Indigenous Chatino speakers in Oaxaca, building on a translation prepared by a linguist in Mexico City. The !Xoon translation presented unique challenges; she visited the San people who speak West !Xoon (the westernmost dialect of the Taa language group) in Namibia, where one local acted as interpreter, another as scribe, and various members lent their voices. This process deepened Mobarak's appreciation for the voice as an instrument, particularly in languages as sonically intricate as !Xoon.
The recorded voices (a vinyl or a digital release are available on Bandcamp) play through speakers encased within simple, geometric mycelium sculptures (for instance, Apollo takes an ovoid shape). These rudimentary forms allowed Mobarak to explore the scale and capabilities of working with mycelium, which she grew in her studio.
Mycelium, the root-like structure of a fungus, consists of a network of hyphae, or branching fungal threads. In Mobarak's installation, Venus, Apollo, and Cupid are crafted from Trametes versicolor, or turkey tail mushroom, a polypore fungus known for its vibrant, layered fruiting body resembling a turkey's tail in shades of brown, white, and occasionally blue or green. Trametes versicolor plays a vital role in nature as a decomposer, breaking down lignin and cellulose in wood and returning nutrients to the soil. The regenerative quality of Trametes versicolor that simultaneously destroys and renews, fascinated Mobarak.
The larger pieces, like Venus, were grown in molds: Venus, formed from two conical shapes, took over eight months to grow. Dafne, represented by a line moving through space, posed unique challenges and was cultivated at Dirfis Mushrooms on the island of Euboea, Greece, using industrial-size inoculators and climate control. Mobarak monitored and adjusted its shape onsite and mushrooms grown from the sculpture were harvested and sold by the company (art literally nourished people in this project…). Cupid, the only figurative sculpture in the installation, was shaped by hand, its Trametes versicolor lending it a textured, marbled surface that evokes aged limestone and a sense of decay.
The python is the only character not made of mycelium in the installation. Crafted from vacuum-formed plastic and plaster with a high-gloss vinyl coating, it appears in a striking green that fades to black. Symbolizing the snake Apollo kills at the beginning of the story, its inert plastic form contrasts with the living, organic material of the other sculptures. Echoing Dafne's shape, the python suggests a duality; as Apollo subjugates both Daphne and the snake, they mirror each other in transformation and death.
Through these materials and forms, Mobarak explores parallels between language, material, and myth.
Mobarak's work transforms indeed the surviving libretto into a chorus of diverse voices, showing how everyday speech can be deconstructed and reinvented. These voices resonate from simple, geometrically shaped sculptures made from a material that symbolizes decomposition and metamorphosis. Here, an analogy emerges between linguistic structure and biological processes, with Mobarak following a rhythm of repetition, breakdown, and renewal - mirroring how both language and materials evolve.
The piece also reflects on how communication and sensory perception are reshaped as linguistic diversity declines under the forces of monolingualism, assimilation, and globalization. The myth of Daphne's transformation becomes therefore a lens through which we view contemporary issues: Daphne's suppression leads to the transformation of her body and voice, yet in "Dafne Phono", her metamorphosis serves as a reminder of bodily and vocal resilience. Blending natural processes with technology, Mobarak's "Dafne Phono" reveals the voice's power to persist through cycles of life and death, bridging past and present narratives.
While "Dafne Phono" stands as a compelling installation on its own, its concept could seamlessly translate to other settings - fashion included. Imagine these sculptures lining a runway, emitting sounds and harmonies that echo the cyclical nature of decay and regeneration that fashion itself undergoes each season. It wouldn't be surprising if Mobarak's vision eventually finds its way into the fashion world. But until that happens, take a moment to experience this installation - even if opera isn't your thing - it's an intriguing exploration of voice, transformation, and materiality that will make you think.
Image credits for this post
Installation views, Nour Mobarak's "Dafne Phono", on view in the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio at The Museum of Modern Art until 12th January 2025. Photo by Jonathan Dorado © The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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