Rutgers University

FUNGI GUY: A Superhero for Our Times

finalist project

Tiffany Chan, Michael Assifo, Paulina Rozinski, Sawsan Sidik, Ele Whiteman, Shannen Jones

Fungi Guy, a Superhero for Our Times explores the potential of melanized white rot fungi, specifically Splitgill fungi, to metabolically enhance in the presence of radiation and break down plastic debris. An experiment showed increased hyphal growth and plastic exploration when the fungi were exposed to Uranyl Acetate. The project proposes using this enhanced fungi to colonize radioactive superfund sites, where it could consume plastic, sequester microplastics, and grow melanized barriers that act as site caps. Additionally, it suggests that local communities could harness this energy to create protective ground barriers and radiation-free homes by molding Lego-style fungi-plastic blocks.

Elizabeth Demaray programs listening stations for birds that play human music, cultures lichen on the sides of skyscrapers in New York City and creates floraborgs, AI supported robotic supports that allow potted plants to move freely in a domestic space. Demaray is the recipient of the National Studio Award at NY MOMA/PS 1, the Skowhegan Fellowship, the Art Omi Fellowship, the Aldrich Emerging Artist Award, and the Welcome to the Anthropocene Award from the Association of Environmental Science Studies. A professor in the Department of Visual, Media and Performing Arts at Rutgers University-Camden, Demaray is head of the concentration in sculpture and the concentration in intermedia and electronic arts. At Rutgers-New Brunswick, she an advisor in the Art and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, which is a platform for artistic practice in the fields of computer vision and machine learning. Demaray’s artwork can be viewed at https://elizabethdemaray.org