The Rhizome Institute is an educational center situated within Bernheim Forest in Louisville. The institute features striking wooden structures that envelop various trees throughout the forest, creating an immersive learning environment. At the base of these structures, intricate engravings depict a mycorrhizal network—a vital underground system that allows trees at Bernheim to connect and share nutrients, mirroring the natural symbiosis found within the forest ecosystem.
The glass enclosures take on organic forms that resemble the fungi of the mycorrhizal network. The wooden tree structures act as a scaffold, resembling the collection of tree species located in the ecosystem at Bernheim. The seating areas allow for small instructional classes, and each seat follows the pattern of the mycorrhizal network. The engraved base structure consists of a metal platform that overhangs the water and is etched with the mycorrhizal fungal network.
