Fungus X Design

1 Park Row,Providence RI 02903

26 September, 2021

Description

Hands-On Design Workshop with Mushrooms, Urban Soils, Microscopes, and More! As part of the 8th Annual Design Week RI, Goode Landscape Studio is excited to host an interactive workshop on the ways fungi influence and shape urban landscape design. Our event, Fungus x Design (pronounced, 'fungus by design'), will be outdoors for the first half and indoors for the second half. Please bring a facemask for the indoor portion. EVENT DETAILS: We will begin by meeting at the corner of N. Main Street and Park Row in Downtown Providence. This is the southeast corner of the Roger Williams National Memorial Park. We will start with a brief introduction and fungus talk (20 mins) about the role of mushrooms and mycelium in the urban environment. We will then do a 30-40 minute field walk and soil/mushroom collection activity. Finally, we will return back to the office for a 45-minute interactive workshop that allows participants to visualize and understand the design impacts of fungus and mycelium at multiple scales. We will get up close and personal with local fungal strains by viewing and photographing the soil samples under a microscope. During this activity, we will project the images from the microscope onto a large screen so everyone can see. Zooming out, we will examine mushroom fruiting bodies with the naked eye, comparing their morphology, and utilizing their caps to create spore prints. During the event, we will have living and inert mycelium-based prototypes and experiments available for visitors to see and interact with. These focus on the intersection of design, ecosystem health, and human experience. Each participant will receive a laser-cut interactive mushroom ID booklet, a live mushroom cap for spore prints, and photos from their microscope findings as a take-away. Can't wait to see you there!