Video
Single channel video; Color; Sound; HD; 7’57”
Matsutake Rain-in the forest
"Rain of Matsutake—In the Forest" is set against the backdrop of the unusually arid summer of 2022. It documents research on the habitat of matsutake mushrooms and practitioners in the field. Supported by the M Art Foundation, this work remains in progress.
The "rain" in "Rain of Matsutake" refers to the eruption of spores from the fungal fruiting bodies, which cascade from the gills like showers. Matsutake mushrooms release spores most abundantly only when fully matured, yet years of overharvesting have hindered their growth to maturity, while abnormal climatic conditions have further exacerbated their survival. The extreme drought of 2022, in particular, left both spore "rain" and actual rainfall absent from the forest.
Spores, fine as dust, are nearly imperceptible yet permeate our surroundings, intricately interwoven with the networks that sustain life. Their dispersal patterns mirror shifts in the matsutake trade and climate. Thus, "Rain of Matsutake" examines the ecological and commercial networks built around this fungus through the perspective of a single spore, grounded in fieldwork on matsutake growth and trade in Yunnan. Against the backdrop of the climate crisis, the project issues a warning through the lens of spores—fragile yet vital agents of interconnectedness.