Printmaker Rodrigo Arteaga is inspired by some of the fungi he discovers in Bristol.
Rodrigo Arteaga joined the artist in residence programme at the University of the West of England’s Centre for Print Research (CFPR) in 2022 with a desire to shed light on the non-human drawings produced by fungi and find ways to reveal the curious beauty of mycelium, which grows as a network of fungal threads, using an array of printmaking processes.
His work would take him into the heart of Leigh Woods, Snuff Mills and Stoke Park where he would spend many hours observing, smelling and moving things around in the search to find samples. ‘I remember one day being totally immersed when rain started pouring,’ explains Rodrigo. ‘I got completely wet, and it occurred to me that you had to get wet to study fungi - that was the reason why they were growing in abundance there.’
His daily cycles to the woodlands and efforts on foot were rewarded allowing him to bring mycelium back to the CFPR where he recreated growing conditions. Using his samples, he was able to make detailed and exquisite etchings copying the structure as well as directly exposing mycelium onto photosensitive plates and even writing fungal poems in soil with inoculated letters.
Collected together in an interactive ‘Mycelium Book’ in a linen box produced by family-run local bookbinders Bristol Bound, Rodrigo's work is a testament to the cross-disciplinary approach at the CFPR, a centre of research excellence focused on the future of print. It offers creative thinkers such as him the opportunity to explore and experiment across a range of artistic media.
Mycelium Book is available to buy online from cfpreditions.uwe.ac.uk/shop
