5 minute read
FEATURE
Cindy Van Volsem, exhibition fabrication specialist, working on a model of Pacific golden chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus).
SPORE-ADIC
Showcasing BC’s Marvellous Mushrooms
BC boasts over 3,400 different kinds of mushrooms. Now it can boast at least 10 more—but they’re not the real thing.
By Kate Kerr
Exhibit Fabrication Specialist
The exhibit fabricators of the Royal BC Museum have created intricate models of 10 of the most popular edible mushrooms of the province. Each little life-size model is set in its own mini diorama, showing the setting where it might be found. These remarkable representations are part of the Royal BC Museum’s newest travelling exhibition, BC’s Marvellous Mushrooms, which hit the road in October 2021. This exhibition celebrates the thousands of mushroom species of this province, their many uses, and those who study, harvest and engage with them.
The exhibition accompanies the Royal BC Museum’s newest handbook, Mushrooms of British Columbia, by Andy MacKinnon and Kem Luther (a number-one bestseller in BC!). The book provides a comprehensive illustrated overview of the science and uses of these fungal fruiting bodies. The exhibition in turn highlights some of the most fascinating species in the province—some familiar, some bizarre, some delicious and some deadly—and explores what we know about these fabulous fungi. Through the 14 colourful and informative display panels, visitors will discover the ways that mushrooms are subjects of study; sources of food, dyes and medicines; and objects of ceremony and beauty.
Exhibition designer Ken Johnson has found the process of getting to know the world of BC’s mushrooms fascinating. “I really enjoyed learning about mushrooms that weren’t on my radar. I wasn’t aware of the diversity, complexity and beauty of this lifeform,” says Ken. “It makes me want to go out and find them in the woods!” Ken’s display panels use close-up imagery that gives the viewer the opportunity to see mushrooms from a new perspective: a mouse’s-eye view. (continues next page)
-ADIC CREATIVITY
Devin Hobbins, exhibition fabrication specialist recreating the pine mushroom (Tricholoma murrillianum).
The showcases provide yet another perspective, too: that of the mushroom forager. One of the three showcases included in the exhibition displays the tools of the mycologist’s and mushroom forager’s trade, complete with field guide, collecting basket, terrain map, mushroom knife and brush. The other two showcases feature the models created by the exhibitions team. The 10 recreated species were selected by the book’s authors as some of the more popular edible species in the province.
Part of the creation process for a scientific museum display is to study the subject matter deeply, so that nothing is represented incorrectly. (Some of the team were able to work from real mushrooms; the rest had to rely on research and photos.) But the technicians on this team enjoy that part of the job. “It was good to learn the actual biological specifics of the mushrooms,” says Devin Hobbins, the newest member of the team.
Once the science was established, the team set to work selecting the materials and techniques that would best replicate the myriad shapes and textures of the fungal world. This is the time when creativity can come to the fore.
“There was a lot of collaborating and brainstorming,” says Devin. “In terms of methods and processes and how to accurately portray these distinctive traits, we shared a lot of knowledge.”
Colin Longpre, a veteran of the exhibitions team, adds, “It’s a fun process, trying to overcome some challenges to create a complex natural object out of everyday materials. As a team we played around with different materials and came up with what works best.”
It turns out that the best materials for making a mushroom are a combination of paper, modelling clay, high density foam and epoxies. We even did some experimentation with 3D printing. Everything had to be exact to pass inspection by the expert eye of Mushrooms of British Columbia co-author Andy MacKinnon himself.
We always strive to get our models right, but in this case it was especially important: edible and poisonous mushrooms may only be a gill pattern or texture apart. Devin says his pine mushroom model was given the thumbs up, with the caution “not to make it too ‘cottony’ on the ring and cap margin”—that would make it more like the poisonous Smith’s amanita.
This travelling exhibition accompanies the newly released Royal BC Museum publication Mushrooms of British Columbia by Andy MacKinnon and Kem Luther. It explores the science and uses of these fungal fruiting bodies, highlighting some of the most fascinating of the 3,400 known species in the province.
BC’s Marvellous Mushrooms interpretive graphic panels on canvas.
Unfortunately, these models will lack one distinctive characteristic used in mushroom identification: the scent. Smith’s amanita has a mild and unpleasant odour, while the edible pine mushroom smells like cinnamon candy, with “overtones of dirty gym socks.” While the exhibits team could easily rise to the challenge of recreating scent, the models will be behind glass, so not within nose-reach. But all the important details about scent are included in the book. If we learned one thing from this project, it’s that mushrooms, as marvellous and beautiful as they are, can also be deadly, and experience and training is required to safely explore their uses, tastes and smells.
Watch for this exhibition as it travels around BC and experience the same wonder and enthusiasm the exhibitions team found while studying and recreating their intricate subjects. All the fabricators say that sculpting realistic mushrooms was a lot of fun. “That’s the most satisfying thing,” says Devin, “when someone can’t tell the difference between the model and the real thing.” Even though you’re in on the secret, you still may be fooled by the team’s skilled replicas of these marvellous mushrooms.
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