The Lure of Mycelial Space – Sharing Knowledge with/through Mushrooms
20/09/2021 – 25/09/2021
Workshop series, Biosphere Entlebuch (CH)
Organized by Ilka Becker, Sarah Kolb and Jutta Strohmaier within the SARN conference Traversing Topologies. Imagining Worlds and Knowledge with/through Artistic Research
The project The Lure of Mycelial Space makes fungi a node for an exploration of relational, non-linear, and ahierarchical forms of knowledge and knowledge production. In extrapolation of Roger Caillois' concept of »diagonal sciences« it makes links between different disciplines productive to question boundaries between self and other, organism and environment, theory and practice. The project aims to address fungi as effective agents and cooperation partners to sound out interstices and cross-connections between traditional categories of knowledge. Within excursions to the Biosphere Entlebuch, it engages in a playful and open ended exchange with experts from various scientific and artistic disciplines.
Mushroom Identification
In order to regulate the marketing of mushrooms and to establish criteria for their sale, there have been official mushroom inspection bodies since 1925. Walter Koch, mushroom inspector of the Swiss communes Wolhusen and Entlebuch, and members of the Pilzverein Entlebuch gave us a detailed introduction to mushroom identification. The collected mushrooms were identified by their characteristics with the aim to distinguish edible from inedible or poisonous mushrooms.
Foraging
The Biosphere Entlebuch is a popular region for mushroom pickers. Walter Koch and members of the Pilzverein Entlebuch showed us one of their collecting sites. While roaming through the forest we learned about a variety of edible and inedible mushrooms and exchanged stories about mushrooms.
Transdisciplinary Field Research
Together with a group of researchers from different disciplines we made another excursion in the Biosphere Entlebuch. While looking for mushrooms, our talks were guided by the idea to make fungi the nodal point for an exploration of relational, non-linear and ahierarchical forms of knowledge and knowledge production.