Join artist Georgette Brown and Madison Kelly at Orokonui Ecosanctuary to contemplate the complex world of mycelium and hear how mycelium and fungi have guided Georgette’s current exhibition I See Mycelium / I Hear the Sound of Breaking Glass at Blue Oyster Art Project Space.

I See Mycelium / I Hear the Sound of Breaking Glass is a multi-media love letter to fungi and mycelium by Georgette Brown. In this new body of work, Georgette playfully and poetically explores her lifelong connection to mushrooms through various media, with special attention given to the ways in which looking for mushrooms and meditating upon mycelium networks pull her out of spirals time and time again. Georgette has worked with paint, stained glass, video, poetry, sculpture and sound (in collaboration with her sibling Cello Forrester). Behind the development of this exhibition is Georgette’s meditative practice of forest walks, seeking to observe and contemplate the complex and changing nature of mushrooms. This passage from the exhibition text explains:

“Georgette likes to go into the forest and look for mushrooms, sometimes for culinary purposes, but mostly to just behold. When she is in the forest, she likes to imagine she is a tiny bug, experiencing a complex and abundant world. She contemplates the colours, spikes, curves, gills, pores, and veils. She also likes to break colourful glass and fuse it back together in patterns reminiscent of mycelium networks. She conducts these activities to navigate her daily journeys of anxiety, and finds the deep connectivity residing just below our feet in the soil very comforting.”

With guidance from lead guide and artist Madison Kelly we will observe the mycelium living in Orokonui, and discuss the ways mycelium feeds into Georgette’s artworks.

Georgette Brown is a Pōneke Wellington-based artist and musician. She attributes much of her art practice to her formative years, spent living deep within a eucalyptus forest in Australia. Over the past few years, Georgette has exhibited at a range of artist-run and project spaces around the country, including Enjoy Contemporary Art Space, Neo Gracie, Satchi Saatchi & Saatchi, Window, MEANWHILE, Play_station, and Blue Oyster Art Project Space. Georgette has a BFA from Massey University Wellington and plays drums in WOMB, a band composed of her and her two siblings.

Madison Kelly (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Pākehā) is an Ōtepoti based artist, and lead guide at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Grounded in drawing and field recording processes, her practice is concerned with nature-cultures in an unstable era.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary is located in Waitati and is the South Island’s flagship biodiversity project. Surrounded by a predator resistant fence, the 307 hectares of forest is home to many taoka species native to East Otago. At Orokonui Ecosanctuary people can enjoy peaceful encounters with nature, from which they may take recreation, refreshment, new knowledge, new skills and a new commitment to conservation.

Blue Oyster will provide free entry into Orokonui for this event, but we encourage everyone to support Orokonui through donation.

This will be an all-weather event, please dress appropriately.

This event is free to attend and all ages are welcome. Please RSVP including your name and contact number to mya@blueoyster.org.nz or 03 479 0197 by Tuesday 8 February.

Covid-19 guidelines for this event: Please practice 1m social distancing Bring your vaccine pass Wear your mask Stay home if you are unwell