“Mycorrhizae ” by Jillian Sico

2020
Letterpress on handmade paper including linen/flax with charcoal, tree-retted linen paper, flax, Alabama kozo, and recycled paper with chanterelle mushroom spores
10.75” x 5.8” x 0.75”

Mycorrhizae explores connectivity and loss from a personal and ecological perspective through an examination of mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae are underground, necessary symbiotic associations between fungi and plant roots that facilitate nutrient and information exchange among and between plant species.

Throughout the course of this project, personal reflections became intertwined with research about the hidden, underground landscape of my research site, the Cohutta Wilderness in the mountains of North Georgia. I used papermaking as a performative medium to tie the book materially to a specific place and time. The sound and texture of handmade paper, along with personal and scientific reflections, recreate for the reader the experience of genuine connection with the forest.

Mycorrhizae is a collaboration between myself and ecologist Katie Beidler, who wrote the text for the informational pamphlet.