ARTIST STATEMENT:

My work takes the form of a speculative worldbuilding project in which future “humans” have survived an ecological catastrophe. Among other adaptations, they crafter the BioSuits: living protective gear made of fungi, moss, algae, and lichen. In wearing the BioSuits, the individual within are able to mycoremediate their environments, rendering pollution inert through integrating fungi into their ecosystems.

This research aims to bring mycorrhical symbioses to the forefront of artistic and agricultural discussion and create discussion regarding the potential that mycorrhizas have in making agroecosystems that are more efficient, cost effective, and have less demand on the organisms surrounding them.

BIO:

Melanie Barnett is an MFA candidate at NSCAD University in K’jipuktuk/Halifax. Barnett is originally from Treaty 4 Territory, in Grandview, Manitoba, and completed her BFA Honours in Ceramics at Brandon University (2021). Barnett is a Canadian Citizen. Barnett’s work has been included in several publications, including Art MAZE Magazine (London, England), Art&Type Magazine (New York), and ArtsinSquare Magazine (Toronto). Barnett was an Artist in Residence at Medalta Potteries in 2022,and has exhibited work across Canada. She is the recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (2022),and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Canada Graduate Scholarship – Masters (2023).

Year-Long Artist: September 2024 – July 2025