From this week’s reading of Mycelium Running, I learned how powerful fungus and mycelium is. Sending nutrients back to soil, completing the cycling of nutrients, rebuilding forest, absorbing and decomposing toxins. It seems fungus is almost invincible. How can this information be well known by people, and implemented widely? What can I do to help strengthening the connection between human and fungus? Emotional or functional aspect? What’s the story I can tell? I have to admit, the more I thought, the more unsure I became.

I want fungus be loved.

For this, I’m thinking about changing my project a little bit. I want to intrigue and ripple people’s mind.

• Instead of using mycelium, I’m going to grow oyster mushroom out of a fruit body model, with a camera attach on it(or hidden behind if it’s too difficult).
• Connect the cap and body with motor to make organic move.
• Once people come near(infrared sensor), mushroom stills. Little mushroom come out of holes from the base box.
• The image projected on the wall changes from black to this.

This is also inspired from one line from the book Mycelium Running:
Nature loves communities. When one species is suddenly introduced, the population dynamics shift in response.

The questions I’d love to ask and discuss

• Will this achieve the goal to intrigue and ripple people’s mind?
• Will people be interested in fungus after this experience?
• What’s the information people will have?
• Can this project justify its existence? (<– this one trouble me the most…)