Symbiosis/Dysbiosis: Mutualism

Tosca Teran, The Mycelium Network, Toronto, Canada, nanotopian@gmail.com
Brendan Lehman, Dreambike, Toronto, Canada, brendan@consciousless.net
Sven Steffens, Independent, Berlin, Germany, rixx_vr@posteo.de

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3721244.3742444
SIGGRAPH Spatial Storytelling '25: Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Conference Spatial Storytelling, Vancouver, BC, Canada, August 2025

Symbiosis/\ Dysbiosis: Mutualism is a multiplayer experience where players and in-vivo fungal Mycelium can synchronize within a virtual old-growth forest. Built within the Resonite VR platform, the project is an investigation into the experiential depths of social worldbuilding technology. Real-time EEG and bio-electrical data streams, via Muse and custom hardware, respectively, enable players to see, feel and interact with the microscopic organisms around, between and within them. Living mycelium responds to players by triggering olfactory, haptic, visual, and auditory effects, also contributing to a live, reactive music performance. Combined, this project provides a groundbreaking context to engage audiences within and to empirically explore the ways biological, ecological, and technological systems can interact.

CCS Concepts: • Applied computing → Performing arts; • Applied computing → Media arts; • Applied computing → Sound and music computing;

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Mycelium, Biofeedback, EEG Data, Reactive Audio-Visuals, Symbiosis

ACM Reference Format:
Tosca Teran, Brendan Lehman, and Sven Steffens. 2025. Symbiosis/Dysbiosis: Mutualism. In Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Conference Spatial Storytelling (SIGGRAPH Spatial Storytelling '25), August 10--14, 2025, Vancouver, BC, Canada. ACM, New York, NY, USA 2 Pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3721244.3742444

Figure 1
Figure 1: Visualisation of realtime data in VR space (left) and showcase of Resonates graphical programming language (right).

1 Introduction

Figure 2
Figure 2: Pleurotus ostreatus and Ganoderma lucidum in-vivo and custom bio-sonification hardware.

Symbiosis/\ : Mutualism is a virtual reality (VR) worldbuilding project that advances a novel set of cross-disciplinary methods for improving intra-player engagement and inter-player connectedness [Denworth 2023]. The project is grounded in a curiosity of interconnected systems and emergent properties across multiple orders of spatial and temporal magnitude.

2 Purpose

The project utilizes various technologies to explore these relationships between parallel biological and ecological processes across fungal, human, and environmental scales [Saroka et al. 2016]. These relationships are creatively interpreted with the Resonite VR platform to invite players to experience these congruities in a live-acted narrative-driven context.

3 Methods

Figure 3
Figure 3: Visual representation of consumer-grade device Muse. Obtained from Mansi et al. CC BY 4.0

To this end, conductance (1.55 μS/m) is measured in vivo from Ganoderma lucidum with custom bio-sonification hardware [Cusumano 2016] [Fig: 2]. Control voltage and MIDI note values are passed to the VR environment and drive live reactive audio. Players in VR wear Muse 2 [Fig: 3] electroencephalography (EEG) devices, and processed data validated to reflect meditative states are also passed to the VR environment [Cannard et al. 2021]. The environment is based on British Columbia old-growth forests and data streams drive a number of game mechanics and shader effects.

4 Results

Figure 4
Figure 4: Virtual forest environment in Resonite.

To date, the project is in progress, with a growing dataset (n ≈ 15) of fungal conductance, EEG activity, and player reports. Early feedback has been strong, with a number of players reporting unusual states for VR experiences. Preliminary analysis indicates physiological states in line with previous studies on meditation and flow state [Brandmeyer and Delorme 2018] [Rácz et al. 2025].

5 Conclusion

This project provides a novel approach to engaging audiences, exploring ways biological, ecological, and technological systems can interact, and championing the philosophy that systems at all levels of discourse are part of a unified whole.

References

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SIGGRAPH Spatial Storytelling '25, Vancouver, BC, Canada

© 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).
ACM ISBN 979-8-4007-1546-4/25/08.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3721244.3742444