Nour Mobarak's Mycelium Opera Installation at MoMA Features Endangered Languages
On display at New York's MoMA until January 12, 2025, Nour Mobarak's sound installation, Dafne Phono, showcases 15 sculptures made from mycelium. The Lebanese-American artist offers a fresh take on the first opera, Dafne, originally performed by Jacopo Peri and Ottavio Rinuccini in 1598. Instead of traditional themes, Mobarak incorporates the voices of mythological figures, using endangered languages through speakers embedded in each sculpture. Apollo speaks in Italian, Daphne in the Western !Xoo dialect, Cupid in Abkhaz, Venus in the whistled Silbo Gomero, and the chorus in Chatino. The sculptures are cultivated from oyster and Turkey Tail mushrooms. Mobarak's work critically examines sociopolitical issues, challenging linguistic dominance and the impact of capitalism on vocal art.
Key facts
- Dafne Phono runs at MoMA until 12 January 2025
- Installation features 15 mycelium sculptures representing characters from the 1598 opera Dafne
- Voices use endangered languages including Western !Xoo, Abkhaz, Silbo Gomero, and Chatino
- Sculptures incorporate Turkey Tail and oyster mushroom fungi
- Previous mycelium works were harvested and sold as food in Athens
- Mobarak's 2021 solo exhibition Logistique Elastique was at Miguel Abreu Gallery
- Artist describes the work as a "de-creation where sound and meaning start to dissolve"
- Installation strips away original Italian libretto's themes of love, jealousy, and metamorphosis
Entities
Artists
- Nour Mobarak
- Jacopo Peri
- Ottavio Rinuccini
Institutions
- MoMA
- Municipal Theatre of Piraeus
- Miguel Abreu Gallery
- Canvas
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Athens
- Greece
- Florence
- Italy
- Namibia
- Kalahari Desert
- Caucasus
- Canary Islands
- Mexico
- Oaxaca
- Seattle