Have You Seen The Giant Mushrooms Sprouting In Uptown Charlotte?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Giant illuminated mushrooms have taken over Uptown Charlotte as ImaginOn and Charlotte Center City Partners present the Amigo and Amigo Shrooms Art installation.

Officials say the Shrooms installation will light up starting March 19th at 5 p.m. and will run through April 18th.

Officials say the installation features 15 giant inflatable mushrooms that brings a reminder of nature in an urban environment, and the project was inspired by the artist, Vica Bondurant, who noticed mushrooms popping up in the industrial area where she lives in Sydney, Australia.

Bondurant says the mushrooms’ ability to emerge in an unexpected environment fascinated her and inspired the project as they were “like a little gift of nature in the urban environment.”

“We are very excited to have the Shrooms Pop up outside ImaginON for the people of Charlotte. The Shrooms have bold, colorful patterns designed to capture audience imagination and encourage people to explore and play,” says Simone Chua, Director of Amigo and Amigo. “Our artistic intention is to create works that bring creativity and elements of surprise to the public environment. It has been a pleasure to work with Charlotte Center City Partners & ImaginOn and have the possibility to bring the Shrooms to life. In many cultures Mushrooms are considered a symbol of good luck, we hope that the work brings joy and a little luck to the public.”

The Shrooms installation has appeared in several festivals including the Cockle Bat Wharf for Vivid 2019, Light City Baltimore, Sinan Mansion in Shanghai, Highlight Festival in New Zealand, and many more.

Amigo & Amigo used contrasting colored fabrics to create the Shrooms so that they can be enjoyed during the day as well as at night when they are illuminated, and officials say Amigo & Amigo love hijacking public spaces to fill them with color, nature, and play.

“After a rainy winter, we are pleased to celebrate the resulting fungi growth along 7th Street at ImaginOn. The world renowned ‘Shrooms’ is a delightful escape from the pandemic and a great way to kickoff Spring. As part of our organizational mission, we want to foster community and cultural development in Center City,” says Robert Krumbine, Chief Creative Officer at Charlotte Center City Partners. “Art is just one way we do that. Art connects us. It gives us a reason to come together. It gives us hope in difficult times and we’re excited to bring unique and fun art installations to Uptown that will put a smile on everyone’s faces.”

ImaginOn officials say they will be providing fun activities for kids of all ages, in addition to the art installation, including:

• Take and Make Kits for kids, filled will all the supplies for them to take home and make their own mushrooms out of paper supplies.
• Mushroom book display.
• Beatrix Potter book display.
• Fact sheet geared towards kids about mushrooms, the different kinds, etc.
• Activity sheet.
• Mushroom Fairy House Window Display.

“The Library is thrilled to present this whimsical symbol of hope in Uptown as the community works to reconnect after the impacts of COVID-19,” says Caitlin Moen, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Director. “We hope this installation draws people together in safe and engaging ways, and we look forward to continued opportunities to engage with artists and citizens here in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

Founded in 2012, Amigo & Amigo is a Sydney based artist studio with extensive background in sculpture and industrial design. Click here to see more of the studio’s work.