MANTIS AZUL
I create access points of connection to living systems by using anchor points of the human experience such as nostalgia, and grief.
Most importantly, my art is an experiment. A will to try and understand what I am ultimately unsure about. To connect to what I fear and feel so deeply for.
The majority of my work has geared towards independent scientific research grounded in accessibility, community science and craft. My main collaborators are Blue Elf Cup, and Ganorderma Sessile.
Upcoming Events
MYCOMEMORIA: A Mycelium Workshop by Mantis Harper-Blanco and Rachel Rusk hosted at the Baltimore Underground Science Space
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/myco-memoria-tickets-1981531708682
IMAGINING OTHERWISE: An Integrated Future by Alberto Martinez Garaulet and Mantis Harper-Blanco hosted by MICAxMcDonogh School.
Contact me for inquiries
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Symbiotic Stitches
2024
Mycelium patches, Slime mold, Lichen, Cyanotype, Hemp and Cotton
Collaborators
Austin Chia, Maia Malakoff, Nadia Nazar,
Katherine Luna, Leyi Guo, Mantis Harper-Blanco, and Jingwen Zhang
Contributors
Ryan Hoover, Rachel Rusk and Caelan Grace McCollum
Concept
How can we practice care with our collaborators and with each other to craft resilient symbiotic communities?
Craft and biodesign share a common origin as responses to times of struggle through modes of production and expression. Symbiotic Stitches is our response to the challenge we face as a society to address the multidimensional ecological problems we have created and now attempt to control.
As artists, we have inherited a long and rich legacy of quilting. It is within our familial heritage to create and quilt. With its many disparate pieces stitched together, the quilt is a symbol of community. Biomaterials have a welcome place here. Moreover, quilting groups are an active practice of community, where people talk and bond while working together.
As learned in our quilting group, we practice care with our collaborators in the lab—mycelium, slime mold, and lichen. We endeavor to support and learn from them, not simply extract from them. We focus on elements of regeneration to repair and mend. Our biomaterial quilt embodies the perseverance living in all of us.
How can we practice care with our collaborators and each other to craft resilient symbiotic communities? In our bio-quilting group, we are generating a language between the human and more-than-human world. Come talk and work with us as we answer this question together.
This project was a collaborative research project under the class Grow the Future at MICA. The final project gets sent to the Bio Design Challenge, an international competition hosted in NYC. Symbiotic Stitches was one of the top 8 finalists and won the Outstanding Narrative award.
Resources
Elise Elsacker, Meng Zhang, and Martyn Dade‐Robertson. “Fungal Engineered Living Materials: The Viability of Pure Mycelium Materials with Self‐Healing Functionalities.” Advanced Functional Materials 33, no. 29 (July 2023): 2301875. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202301875.
BioDesign Challenge 2024. Maryland Institute College of Art Symbiotic Stitches Webpage Profile
https://www.biodesignchallenge.org/mica-2024