Money Trees + Stumpies

Edward is a multi-disciplined artist using traditional craftsmanship with a modernist twist and throughout the Autumn of 2023 we've been working with him on a collection based around mycelium.

The work echoes the unspoken conversations occurring in the world of mycelium and explores their relevance to our modern lives. Old pennies are transformed into mushrooms, symbolising the currency of life itself. Charred branches tell the story of life’s cycles, whilst knotted strings represent the invisible threads that connect us all.

The project launched on Dec 17th at the Connect & Create Festival in North Devon. A limited number will available on our shop site:

The mycelium network serves as nature’s communication infrastructure, enabling plants and organisms to share and recycle nutrients and give warnings. Similarly, the digital landscape facilitates instant global connections, allowing the exchange of ideas, currency and experiences. Both the mycelium network and digital communication show resilience and adaptability. The mycelium network navigates challenging environments and adapts to change. Digital communication has evolved rapidly, transforming how we interact, learn, trade and collaborate.

The collaboration has focussed on these similarities by using natural materials of wood, copper currency and rope to describe this interaction in nature. The mycelium feeds off the decaying wood and with it blooms phrases on the tip of the mushroom pennies. These expressions are words that connect the mycelium language with ourselves.

Recent research into mushrooms suggests that the underground network of mycelium can communicate with as many as 50 different ‘words’, from warnings of drought, to symbiotic exchanges, to resource sharing. This project challenges us to contemplate our place in the broader ecological and societal conversation.

Recognising these similarities deepens our appreciation for the interconnectedness of the world. It reminds us that even in our technologically advanced society, we are still connected to and influenced by nature.