Webinar All about Mycology

Notes taken:

• Mycology: Scientific study of mushrooms
  • Book on Identification and Biology of Mushrooms
    • Look similar, under microscope, but different structures spores gills and reaction to stains
  • The potential, behind the scenes, not just on the surface and looming beyond smaller people
  • Fungi represent urgency, currently hot topic
  • Film on Netflix, Fantastic Fungi, propelled to general common awareness / interest
    background in patent
  • Appeared on Facebook, mushroom coffin, to return to world as natural way as possible
  • Not deter people from joining or showing interest in mycology
• Some counties on trying out using mushrooms to treat depression
  • Patients are able to get out of thought process by taking the mushrooms
• Education for bio solutions
  • Use of plastics, with bio solution alternatives
  • Plants use of chemical fertiliser (obtain from rocks or chemical processes) not sustainable, but use of fungi as fertiliser can be useful but quality not consistent
  • Sustainable packaging, break down at correct time, reach customer at correct time
    • Durability, understanding of it
    • Where humidity plays a part
• Not allowed to collect specimens without permit from parks and nature reserves, foraging not able to make it in Singapore

Field Trip to SAM

I feel the curated tour was very useful and I would have been lost as to how concepts and ideas for certain artworks came to be and why they were showcased as such. How could fungi affect and be in play with media to create something new and organic.

I also learnt more on the use of space and how having living organisms as part of the art:

• Differs from time to time
  • Sound does or does not play
• Changes over time
  • Fungi continues growing
• Have to be properly prepared for exhibition space
  • Grown to certain extent before showcasing
  • Have to be contained due to spores, may spread in space and to other artworks

After the webinar and curated tour I now have a different perspective on fungi having learn their potentials.
My initial thought were fungi being a not so good counterpart to plants. Them growing at damp dark conditions and having once in primary school homework was to create bread mold which I found kind of gross.

I could somewhat perceived the feels of walking in a forest, which a more man-made aspect with the deliberate implementation of fungi and wooden planks, but also the use of the lighting creating a dim atmosphere with spots of light shining through as if bigger plants/trees in the forest were in the emergent layer and we were on the forest floor.