This post is part of Raina Sparks’s 2022 Yale Farm Summer Internship Independent Project.
How does a mushroom interact with the world around it? What does a mushroom represent? How can we learn from a mushroom? These were the guiding questions that brought me to center fungi in my final project. Early in my research for the internship, I learned how mycorrhizal fungi use tendrils called hyphae to attach to plant roots and form a symbiotic relationship with them, allowing the roots to uptake more nutrients from the soil and allowing the hyphae sugars from the plant roots. These interactions form robust underground networks which even allow plants to “communicate” with each other by sharing nutrients through mycorrhizae. This set of relationships seemed to me so positive and wholesome, and a wonderful model for healthy community interactions even in human relationships, those formed through mutual exchange and helping each other. This inspired me to use my Independent Project to explore and celebrate fungi, in two parts. First, I chose to explore an embodied practice and grow some Blue Oyster Mushrooms, so as to gain a hands-on understanding of what fungi need to thrive. Second, I used oil pastels to make a few art pieces in celebration of the relationships fostered by fungi, of their abundance and necessity to a healthy community. You can view my full project presentation here.