Conceived for the Children’s Museum Night at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, the large hall became an underground planet: an ecosystem of roots, mycelium and water — invisible infrastructures that sustain life above the surface. The installation remained throughout the weekend as part of the Kunsthalle’s Family Weekend, gradually transforming and evolving through the participation of its visitors.

Textile roots hang from circular structures in the ceiling and visitors could attach textile roots by weaving, knotting and adding colourful beads symbolising water and nutrients. Fine white threads formed a growing mycelium, connecting different points as children and adults build new relationships within the network.

The hanging ecosystem was accompanied by the work Ofrendas al infinito and a sound piece of subtle underground sounds, gentle noises and soft melodies, inviting families to imagine this world beneath the surface. During the first night, an additional lighting atmosphere created an immersive passage into the underground planet. Throughout the family weekend, normal lighting revealed the growing density of the installation and the traces of collective participation.

The work became a model of a world without a centre or hierarchy — a network of knots, tensions and relationships. It invites us to experience the invisible connections and interdependencies that sustain life, both in nature and in human communities.

Foto credits: Till Bödeker