I went for the first public workshop ”mind the fungi walk and talk #1” which I connected through Art labatory Berlin. Whereas I met a wonderful group of artists who showed curiosity. It was a pure play and exploration for my artist. We had been guided through forests of Berlin and Brandenburg by Artist Theresa Schubert and Institute of Biotechnology | TU Berlin, in search of tree mushrooms and lichens.
The walk begins…
{Fomes Fomentarius} is a tree mushroom which can be found growing on a dead trunk or a healthy tree.
It layout like a staircase on top of trunk. {Fomes Fomentarius} is a parasite, a decomposer and a helper.
Take a photo like this. This is the first step to create data for further exploration in the lab. Fill in the names, area and description of surrounding.
Cut off the size of three fingers. Leave some part for them to grow back.
Fascinating beetles with radian blue colours live in the trunk.
There was a city of giant dead trunk full of variety of fungi.
The wonder of forest at Birkenwerder area. Seventy percent of forest in Germany is belonged to private property. This one seems quite and nearly untouched.
Beaver had builded this amazing water bed and left to somewhere else.
{psilocybe semilanceata} known as liberty cap, is a psilocybin or “magic” mushroom that contains the psychoactive compounds psilocybin which the body breaks down to psilocin, and the alkaloid baeocystin.
These are edible mushroom which tasted great after cooking with simple butter. Another grandma dishes to share. The name of it is unidentified.
Poison {Amanita muscaria} is not recommend to eat.
This can be collected and cook with beeswax and coconut oil as a treatment of bruising.
These dishes is pre-prepared by TU lab. In these dishes sited antibacterial agent ”aga” and cut pieces of fungi. Aga is an agent that interferes with the growth and reproduction of bacteria. These agents kill or prevent bacteria by fighting against bacterial.
Experiment to form the shapes of dried mycelium and straw.
Protective inserts made of dried mycelium by ecovative, a US company specialised in harnessing the potential of fungi for packaging.
Step one – Cut eight pieces for placing in the dish.
Wash them with thirty times stronger antibacterial agent.
Place them into dish with ”aga” underneath. Close it for further steps to be continued.
Questions & Answers
What is mycelium? Fungi mycelium is often buried in the soil where it can stretches out multiple meters.
The mycelium grow in between the bark of tree and the trunk, forming a whitish network.
{Fomes Fomentarius} is what fascinated me the most among all. It produces very large polypore fruit bodies which are shaped like shells or horse’s hoof and vary in colours. The fibers of the mushroom were originally used as “tinder” for firing.
The soft materials of {Fomes Fomentarius} for textile, wound dressing and instrument making intrigue my artist’s eyes. There is a berlin-based start up zvnder manufacturing fashion items. In Transylvania, part of Romania, fungi are traditionally used in the human medicine, handicraft, and several customs for a long time past.
{eichenwirrling} has the most beautiful pattern under the cap named Gills.
{schiefer schillerporling} is the materials for making chaga mushroom tea. Anja learned this from her upbringing. Find more
