Thelma Russell 2021

Thelma Russell

UK

Facebook: @ThelmaRussellFeltmaker

Title
Mycelium

I spent a lot of time last year reconnecting with the natural world through observation and reading.

One thing I discovered is that no plants or animals would exist on land without fungi! 

‘Mycelium’ is the anarchic filigree of fungal structures which endlessly connect, branch and reconnect to facilitate the flow of water, nutrients, electrical impulses and chemical signals in complex ecosystems - rather like feltmaking, mycelium is a process rather than a thing.

The threads in my piece represent this random, never-ending microscopic network, while the circles represent the fruiting bodies, i.e. mushrooms. Root-like yarns both trap and are trapped by the prefelts and threads.

Materials and Techniques
Base of merino wool with silk and linen, pattern in hand-dyed prefelt with yarn and sewing thread
Artwork size in CM: Width………65….……… Length………90