Lichen as a wall covering?

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by foxlightforge, Nov 1, 2008.

  1. foxlightforge

    foxlightforge Member

    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Austin Texas USA
    I just read that some art spaces used lichens to make a living wall covering. Specifically galleries in West Berlin, Amsterdam and Yugoslavia. The reference was in Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change by Victor Papanek, 1984, so it is a bit dated. No success on Google. I would love to read/hear about the success of lichens as an interior design tool, the benefits--do they clean the air like simple household plants, vivid color patterns--and the failures--mold caused by moisture, structural concerns, allergens, longevity. Have any of you ever heard/seen this before?

    R
     
  2. togata57

    togata57 Generous Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    3,435
    Likes Received:
    380
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
  3. togata57

    togata57 Generous Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    3,435
    Likes Received:
    380
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Well, I did have a good lichen site, but for some cryptic reason it will not post accurately. Oh well!
     
  4. togata57

    togata57 Generous Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    3,435
    Likes Received:
    380
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
  5. foxlightforge

    foxlightforge Member

    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Austin Texas USA
    Thanks for the links.

    I really liked the Irish gallery exhibit--the best art touches on so many different subjects and is all the more engaging for it.

    I had envisioned though, making a complete wall in my house a living lichen wall, like a floor to ceiling painting, with splashes of varietal color. My house is small 400 sq ft, so it wouldn't be too big, I wonder if it is possible?
     
  6. Frog

    Frog Generous Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    2,658
    Likes Received:
    334
    Location:
    B.C., Canada
    The main hurdles would be how slowly lichens grow, and reproducing good growth conditions and surfaces. Some lichens do grow more quickly, but it's still pretty slow. Different species tend to associate with different kinds of surfaces, most commonly rocks or wood, but also different kinds of wood and rocks. Some for example specialize in growing on alder bark. So you'd need the right surface. If you transplanted a lichen colony on their habitat/surface, you'd need to make sure to reproduce the right growing conditions: I'm not sure what these would be, but air quality, temperature, humidity and light levels are sure to be significant. With the wrong conditions, the (possibly decades or more old) colony would die.
    Lichens like Usnea, Alectoria, Bryoria seem to grow more quickly, generate more mass, but I don't know how picky they are about conditions and substrate. Some of the beautiful and brilliant coloured or patterned lichens you see on rocks can grow as slowly as 1mm/year.

    sorry to be a damp cloth :-) but i hope the info is helpful to you
    frog
     
  7. foxlightforge

    foxlightforge Member

    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Austin Texas USA
    No worries there, that is why I asked.

    These types of hurdles are what make making art fun, especially when using natural materials.

    The different woods and different species of lichen make me think that you could make a mosaic of wood (like those German landscapes made of different types of wood) as the substrate and figure out the conditions for the lichens to grow, perhaps on a smaller scale than a full wall.

    I have a project on the back burner now where you mix spaghnum with concrete to create sculptural forms that will grow when left in a shady moist place.

    I am always looking for interesting ways to incorporate nature and art. Lately I have been using micrographs of botanical forms (crystals, seeds, etc) to inspire sculptural forms.

    Thanks
     

Share This Page