Mushrooms of the Mind

This multi-component sculpture by Riikka Keränen (b. 1984, Ristijärvi) spreads throughout the Alppikylä Daycare Centre. It consists of ceramic tree fungi of different colours and sizes, combining features of the natural with fantasy elements.

“Mushrooms that pop up from the forest floor in the autumn are a familiar sight for us, but their underground network and function as symbiotic partners to many plants is an unknown world to many people. Mushrooms that grow on trees, also known as bracket fungus, have an important role in the cycle of materials in nature. By helping to rot and decompose wood, they establish vital habitats for other species. I would like my work to make viewers think about the diversity of life and its myriad forms and how everything in nature has its own place and its own important function.”

The organic forms of the installation provide a counterpoint to the architecture of the daycare centre while linking the interior of the building with its exterior. The work comprises 116 individual parts: 50 in the outside stairs, 33 on a wall next to one of the two downstairs doors, 5 in the interior stairs and 28 parts in the balcony. The mushrooms are made of high-fire paper clay, and each one has its own individual glaze that enriches the visual impact of the sculpture.

The work was produced under the Percent for Art programme, and it belongs to the collection of the City of Helsinki, managed by HAM Helsinki Art Museum.