AP Studio Art student concocts fungal universe through design
“Cordycep Monument” portrays a statue in ancient ruins that would be infested by parasitic fungi called cortisol using Procreate. “I had the fungi infest a remnant of a lost civilization like a live statue. If this were a game, you’d be able to interact with it and it would say some weird riddle,” Yang said.
March 10, 2022
Defne Onal managing editor
Using Procreate and other mediums, senior Tina Yang promotes the study of mycology with her series “Myco” in her AP Studio Art class. Throughout her series, Yang introduces mythical elements such as live statues and laboratories where the main character solves mysteries around them. Yang wants others to view her artwork as a video game and learn while interacting with the work.
“Laboratory Base” illustrates a check point in Yang’s universe. “I’m going to say everything in the context of it being a game. The lab would be like where the scientist main character does close analysis of the world around her. It’s just a cozy place,” Yang said. 
“Shelled Buggy” represents an automobile design. “I was thinking about how a car would function if you only had organic materials. If you’re navigating through a lot of mushrooms and spores, you’d want to avoid unwanted growths,” Yang said. 
“Cordycep Monument” portrays a statue in ancient ruins that would be infested by parasitic fungi called cortisol. “I had the fungi infest a remnant of a lost civilization like a live statue. If this were a game, you’d be able to interact with it and it would say some weird riddle,” Yang said. 
“Spore Lantern” explores Yang’s interest for mushrooms. “I think mushrooms or fungi are the reason I started this project because it’s an interesting part of biology,” Yang said. 
The painting “Giant Salamander” depicts symbiosis between fungi and organic life. “I thought a salamander would use its connections to mycelium networks to navigate so it doesn’t have eyes. This is kind of a creature display,” Yang said.
