Descendants of Fungi
July 23–July 25 2021
A third annual symposium in forest and meadow lands between the villages of Hnátnice and Písečná in the Orlické Mountains
Apparently it was fungi that brought life from the ocean to the land. We live in systematic networks on several levels: the mycorrhizal fungal mycelium and root system underground; the fluvial, vegetable and technological branching on the land; the neural pathways in our bodies; the internet and the complex system of the universe. These currents are significant distributors of water, nutrients, information and energy, and are mutually similar and specific. According to the hypothesis of Terrence McKenna and his brother Dennis (the Stoned Ape Theory), which so far we can neither confirm nor dismiss, the community of proto-humans that abandoned the rainforest and dwelt on the savannah consumed magic mushrooms which grew in the faeces of domesticated animals or in a wild, natural environment, which may have deeply altered and enlarged the brains of our ancestors. However, the beginnings of today’s humans, fungi, animals, plants and various environments were entwined, mutual interactions have had an influence on the evolution of all of us.
The symposium Descendants of Fungi traced processes of domestication and feralisation, ethology, the neuroplasticity of the brain and the influence of fungi on the soil and soil humidity. The symposium combined theoretical and physical formats, and took place in four groups. The programme of the groups also extended beyond the time limits of the symposium and the Czech environment into online discussions, debates and podcasts. Visitors could apply to one of the working groups: (Non-)human environment; Water, fungi, forest; Neuroplasticity. Children had the option of joining the Forest children’s group. A joint programme for all groups was a forest cinema and concert.
Working groups:
I. (NON-)HUMAN ENVIRONMENT
The working group focused on the theme of ethology and environment for farmed and wild animals, the relationship of domesticated and wild animals and the issue of domestication and feralisation. Designs and realisations were created for several types of inter-species and non-human dwellings for domesticated and wild animals of the WOODS. Physical work was interspersed with lectures, debates and performances.
Guests: Lukáš Brabenec, Denisa Langrová, Michaela Marešová, Ruta Putramentaite
Organisers: Václav Belčák, Edith Jeřábková, Denisa Langrová, David Přílučík, Ruta Putramentaite, David Střeleček
II. WATER, FUNGI, FOREST
The working group focused on the theme of the retention capacities of the forest, infiltration of water into the soil, and in the extended theoretical field with focus in further detail on the versatility of fungi and the resourcefulness of mycorrhizal communities. The basis of each improvement of the soil is organic mass, which helps living plants retain water in the landscape. Together with Denisa Tomášková we created compost for the WOODS from diverse ingredients and mycorrhizal tea. Compost ensures healthy growth for trees, bushes and vegetable gardens, and multiplies important organisms and microorganisms in the soil of the WOODS. These physical-theoretical activities were alternated with lectures, discussions, zin and a concert for the forest.
Guests: Jonáš Gruska, Lukáš Senft, Denisa Tomášková, Lukáš Trakal, Daniel Vlček, Lenka Vráblíková
Organisers: Jonáš Gruska, Edith Jeřábková, Petra Pučeková, Denisa Tomášková, Lenka Vráblíková
III. NEUROPLASTICITY
This working seminar was based on the ability of the brain to change itself and worked with methods such as daydreaming, concentration, controlled rest, mirroring and repetition, which trigger the creation of new neurons and switch existing connections in our mind. The seminar featured practices and lectures presented by experts and artistic inputs such as curated cinema, performance, writing and virtual reality.
Guests: Anne-Claire Barriga, Palo Fabuš, Habima Fuchs, Seiko Hihara, Alice Najmanová, Nina Nohejlová, Markus Selg, Andrea Scheansová, Vladimír Skrepl, Tomáš Vaněk
Organisers: Zuzana Blochová, David Fesl, Tereza Porybná
IV. FOREST CHILDRENS’ GROUP: Living beyond our names
The goal of the Forest children’s group for 2021 was to TRANSCEND THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN SPECIES. We attempted to understand the speech of animals, fungi and plants, to listen to their desires, worries and needs, and focus on those inhabitants of the forest that we don’t usually see with the naked eye. The children could look forward to walks together through the forest, collection of objects and sounds, communal dreaming, production of masks and costumes with the aim of at least a short-term transformation. The children’s forest group prepared a programme for children, which was designed but not fixed in advance, and actively responded to the initiatives and needs of its participants. At the same time, it enabled parents to take part in the programme designated rather for adults.
Guests: Mary Čtvery, Magdalena Šipka, Hana Polanská
Organisers: Eva Koťátková, Barbora Kleinhamplová, Petra Pučeková, Lujza Srnková, Žofia Ščuroková