Illuminated Mushroom Forest Dioramas by Spencer Hibert

Spencer Hibert just sent over the collected evidence of his new Mushroom Forests series. Each piece is made of hand-cast resin inside a hand-made box. If you look at the image above, you’re seeing a total of eight dioramas. The left two columns show four dioramas with lights out on the left-most column and lights on for the right column. Ditto for the two columns on the right hand side. I love this innovative and psychedelic effect!

Spencer will be showing the eight Mushroom Forest dioramas in tonight’s Locals Only show at Red Hot Robot in Phoenix, AZ. Solid colors are $35, and one-off painted versions are $50. Unsold work from the show will likely be available online following the opening.

What’s interesting about these is how they challenge art toy stereotypes. Some purists feel that for something to be considered a toy, it must involve a level of play or interaction usually achieved through moving parts. Perhaps as standalone pieces, there is not much playability in these dioramas. However, the addition of light transforms the look and mood of the work, and hey, you could always add a little toy to this resin habitat, and play your heart out. Thumbs up from me.