"Myco-Ramblings" by Christopher Kennedy and Ben Kinsley

*RSVP required

The largest and oldest living organism on the planet is a mushroom. Although its fruiting body is no bigger than the palm of your hand, the entire organism extends for miles in either direction, comprised of a root-like system called mycelium. Mycologist Paul Stamets describes this as the neurological network of Nature, Earth’s natural Internet, or “the wood-wide web”; allowing both information and resources to pass quickly through the entire network. Mushroom hunting is also a practice shared by almost all major cultures, providing a vital source of food, medicine, and spiritual ritual.

Using mushrooms as a material and metaphor, Myco-Ramblings explores the intersection of mycology, folk knowledge, and storytelling. We invite participants to join us on a ramble through Central Park to forage for mushrooms, to cultivate collective knowledge related to fungi, and to create a chance-based field recording. We will walk, we will notice, and delight in the delicacies of the mushroom world.

While field identification will be a part of the experience, it is not the primary goal. We are interested in what stories, practices, and insights emerge from the shared experience of looking at and for mushrooms together. The sounds and stories collected will be included in a future audio work; a meditation on wandering and a celebration of the uncertain and mysterious nature of fungi. All skill levels and ages are welcome.


*Rain date: July 10, 1-4pm


Please RSVP by July 07,2016 to [email protected]
AC