Psilocybe Necrophila
Psilocybe Necrophila refers to a psychoactive mushroom that grows on decomposing flesh. The material basis of this work was Niko Skorpio’s old cassette tape collection from the 1980′s. Containing mostly heavy metal demos and live bootlegs, several kilometres of obsolete tape were sacrificed on the altar of creation.
Magnetic tape — as a symbol of DNA — was deconstructed, cut, mangled, eaten and torn apart by a number of malfunctioning cassette players and other misbehaving entities. The emerging mutations were captured, processed and reconstructed, over and over until a new form began to take shape. Carefully chosen and prepared additional ingredients were then introduced to this primal tissue in order to impregnate it with a new kind of energy. Metaphorically speaking, soul was injected into the golem.
The first version of Psilocybe Necrophila was being worked on from 2002 to 2006 until a hard drive failure wiped out most of the work-in-progress material. The second effort was taken and completed late 2007 and eventually released 2009.