A new exhibition opens at Somerset House on the 31st of January about the beautiful world of mushrooms. With various exhibits from 35 artists across different media types from films to paintings to sketches and models all displaying the fascinating world of mushrooms. It takes place in the Terrace Rooms and is curated by Francesca Gavin who is also a writer. The art, design and future of fungi celebrate the rich legacy and incredible potential of the remarkable organism, the idea it inspires in poetic, spiritual and psychedelic.
There are three themes Mycophilia, Magic mushrooms and Fungi Futures; celebrating mushrooms, mushroom inspired works. Beatrix Potter’s selected watercolours from her collection of over 300 scientific illustrations of mushrooms and fungi.
For me, I love taking photographs of mushrooms the fun is also in the hunt for them as well as the photography especially looking for those elusive fly agaric red fungi. I will be holding more mushroom hunting photo walks later in the year.
Below are some facts about mushrooms and the magical world they envelop, be sure to check out the various events/talks that Somerset House are holding. I have listed a few of them below, unfortunately, some of them are already sold out.
Edible mushroom tour – Join the artists behind this ongoing food growing project to learn more about the mushrooms growing beneath the courtyard as part of the closed-loop eco-cycle.
Read more…
Mushroom Gallery Late – Experience our exhibition Mushrooms after hours, plus a range of mushrooms-related fun across the site. This special evening of activity will include a deeper dig into the exhibition and an opportunity to get hands-on with mushrooms, a mix of drop-in and paid activity including workshops, screenings and performance plus extended opening hours to view the exhibition.
Read more…
The exhibition opens on 31st January till 26th April 2020 and its free.
Mushroom / Fungi facts
- Mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy fruit baring part of a fungus which appears above ground
- There are approximately 14,000 varieties of mushrooms
- Mushrooms spread through spores which come out of the gills under the cap on most of the varieties
- Mushrooms are made up of around 90% water
- There are 75 species of mushroom that glow in the dark
- Magic mushrooms have around 200 different species, they contain Psilocybin, the main ingredient which causes hallucinations.
- Mushrooms contain disease-fighting properties, antioxidants, and a whole gamut of important nutrients. They even contain copper, a mineral that is vital to our survival that we cannot produce on our own.
- There’s a mushroom in Hawaii that, supposedly when smelled, causes instant orgasms in a woman.
Photographs from the exhibition
More photos on my Flickr link below, also more about the exhibition on the Somerset House link. Thanks for reading, leave a comment below on your favourite type of mushroom.
Links
Somerset House – https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/mushrooms-art-design-and-future-fungi
Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/alalchan/albums/72157712908978078
Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/alalchan
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/alalchan
