»Conocybe filaris« is the third composition in an ongoing series of works inspired by various species of fungi. This time, the inspiration comes from a mushroom that appears entirely ordinary: small, unremarkable, and seemingly harmless. Yet beneath that modest form lies a slow and inevitable suffering. The amatoxins contained in the mushroom act patiently and invisibly. Days may pass before the body shows any reaction – but by then, the damage has already been done. The liver and kidneys begin to fail. At first, no obvious symptoms appear; they are barely perceptible. This piece is a meditation on invisible violence – harm disguised as calmness, kindness, or familiarity. It reflects on the kind of damage leaves no bruises: quiet cruelty, poisonous words delivered with a smile, and structures that seem neutral – even protective – while corroding the self from within. We are often slow to recognize that we are being harmed. Sometimes it arrives as silence; sometimes as softness. But over time, the whispers grow sharper and the wounds deepen. Softness hardens into scar tissue, and the aftermath becomes difficult to survive.

Barbara Zach is a composer and multimedia artist whose practice explores the interrelated dynamics of sound and image. Alongside chamber and orchestral works, she composes music for animation and film, and develops immersive performances and sound installations. She studied composition at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music and at the Chopin University of Music. Her music has been presented at the Warsaw Autumn at the Copernicus Science Center Planetarium and the Czapski Palace in Warsaw. In late 2023 she co-founded the Collectif4 Foundation, an initiative dedicated to supporting contemporary art.

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