Lewis Andrews/ Nature Reimagined

Lewis Andrews moved to Leeds in 2016 to study a BA(Hons) in Fine Art at Leeds Arts University. After graduating in 2019, Lewis continued to work in Leeds. In 2022, Lewis completed his Postgraduate Fine Arts Degree also at Leeds Arts University, graduating with a Masters Degree in the Creative Arts. During his Master’s Degree, Lewis’s practice became deeply focused on the methodology of translating information and data from sources within science into artworks. Lewis has continued to work and build upon this method in his work, constructing a theory of working called ‘The Informative Encounter’.

Mushrooms are the most common product that comes to mind when thinking about a fungal organism. However, the Mushroom is only the fruiting body of the fungus, much like an apple is the product of an apple tree. The Mushroom is where the spores are produced. Below is a complex network structure of roots and branches belonging to the organism in the form of mycelium. These structures can behave in a wide variety of ways.

Within woodland fungus (upon which these drawings are based), some Mycelium grows throughout the soil and wraps around tree roots. Growing into the tree roots themselves, they are then able to act as an interconnected web between the trees and other plant organisms. This composition is often called a “mycorrhizal network” and connects these individual trees & plants to facilitate the transfer of water, nitrogen, carbon and other minerals. A German forester, Peter Wohlleben, called these networks the “Woodwide Web,” as they give trees the extraordinary ability to communicate with each other. The next time you’re out walking through your local woodland, think about the amazing networks operating below your feet. These drawings aim to highlight that there is much more to the fungal world than just the fruiting body of the mushroom.