Who would have thought mushrooms and the kingdom of fungi were so fascinating, let alone how important they are to the world?
This show/event was a two-part exploration into the hidden world of fungi where renowned biologist, writer and speaker Merlin Sheldrake took us on a fungi journey which drew us into his captivating and often overlooked world. Merlin has spent his life uncovering the profound ways fungi connect organisms and without fungi, the living world as we know it would not exist.
The first part of the show/event was a screening of the award-winning film ‘Fungi: The Web of Life’. Narrated by the fabulous singer Björk, where her charming accent added to the mysterious underground world. This film was remarkable as we watched and learned about the impact of fungi around the world. There was time-lapse camerawork, stunning close-ups and amazing underground footage, the overall cinematography gave this unexplored world a fantasy like charm with their exquisite colours, shapes and impressive biology. It truly was absorbing, interesting and engaging.
Fungi have survived five mass extinctions and they have incredible symbiotic relationships with plants, such that 90% of plant life rely on fungi for survival. They have a reputation of always being linked to death and disease due to their abilities for decomposition but we should think of them more in a positive light of regeneration as they produce chemicals which gives life to other organisms, used in medicine, put back nutrients into the soil and China has found they have the ability to break plastics down.
The second part of the event was a very up close and personal Q&A with Merlin. He had asked the audience to submit questions during the interval, which was a better method than people shouting from the audience that’s for sure. He simple sat on a chair on the stage going through and answering as many questions as he could. There was no rushing through, his very nature is calming, soothing almost and his answers were detailed and knowledgeable, taking the time to explore each question giving us not only his depth of knowledge but his thoughts which were insightful.
Through the audience questions we learned more about fungi, how they still exist in the sea and in dry landscapes, how some plants no longer need to photosynthesise due to the fungi network, and that it is very likely they can detect sound.
Merlin was asked what humans should learn from fungi and his answer was about us being more connected, how we should be thinking, living and processing in cycles rather than in our standard linear ways.
The evening was fascinating, but what made it so compelling and captivating was Merlin’s clear passion for this subject, how his continued research brings new exciting discoveries which bring him so much joy.
For more info on Merlin check out his website.
Watch the YouTube Shorts review here.