Far from the noise of the surface, where humans and technology call the shots, lurks an underground world full of life and cooperation. Here, plants, organisms and fungi whisper undisturbed in their own language. Amsterdam-based collective Touki Delphine  believes that learning to listen to this underground life can be a first step towards a better balanced life on earth. 

Their installation TRANSMISSION lets us experience the mysterious network of the subterranean, from a human perspective. With buzzing brake lines, hissing hoses and glowing reflectors from the junkyard, they create a poetic imagination of the most complex system on Earth. To learn how plants and fungi actually work together, evolutionary biologist  Toby Kiers maps them before they are affected by climate change. Filmmaker Marleine van der Werf followed her in the process, resulting in the short documentary The Underground Astronaut. This too can be seen at MU.

MU is supported by:
Ministerie OCW
Provincie Noord-Brabant 
Cultuur Eindhoven
Fonds 21   

Touki Delphine is supported by:
Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst

The Underground Astronaut is part of the Ammodo docs series.

Typography by HeyHeyDeHaas
Photos by Hanneke Wetzer