Xylan de Jager
Xylan de Jager is a young, idiosyncratic spirit with an imaginative appetite for innovation. Having mushroomed from a boundary-pushing architecture student to managing forward-thinking labs, pushing new technologies. Xylan is currently thriving as a project coordinator with the Water & Health Research Centre and manager of the Creative Microbiology Research Co-Lab. An evolutionary constant through the resilient journey of self-reinvention has been his intrinsic passion as an ambitious, autodidactic mycologist, with an eye for the extraordinary. Inspired by his unique visions for the power of mycelium Xylan founded a successful mushroom company, with the intent to grow his private research laboratory. Xylan is merging his scientific inquisition and love for art through a synergic mycelial collaboration. In the “Exploration of co-created futures”, they tantalise the boundaries of normalcy through a future reimagined.
On SYM | BIO | ART
The "Exploration of co-created futures," is a dynamic intersection of art, science, and nature. This mycelial-based installation is a tangible testament to the potential symbiosis between human ingenuity and the profound organic intelligence inherent in fungi. The installation symbolises the interconnectedness that underpins our existence, illuminating the extraordinary potentialities that lie within drawing lessons from the largely untapped reservoir of innovative teaching offered by nature.
This installation provokes contemplation of our place within the broader network of life, and how we might reshape our future through synergistic collaborations with the biological world. The "Exploration of co-created futures" implores us to imagine and actively participate in the co-development of our shared future, a future where innovation is elegantly entwined with the wisdom of the natural world.
Xylan de Jager, Exploration of Co-Created Futures (2023), Mycelial bio-composite, ABS/PETG plastics Installation; Variable dimensions
