Aisling O’Shea is a Bristol based, self taught artist. As well as being a a core member of the team over at our parent company, Maya Mushrooms, she is also taking up an artist residency at The Yama Project headquarters.
Aisling is inspired by the micro and macro elements of nature, so being surrounded by the Ancient trees and endless sky here in the Forest of Dean, she is creating a collection named, ‘The Cosmic Garden’ collection. 50% of all profit from sales is donated back to The Yama Project.
The Microbiology Society is a not-for-profit organisation. The funds they receive through publication subscriptions, membership and other activities are used to support microbiology. As such, the Society has funds at its disposal from which it makes grants to members for specific purposes.
The Microbiology Society is committed to supporting and encouraging the teaching and learning of microbiology at all levels and they offer grants to support microbiology teaching initiatives and events. Funds are also available for members keen to run and participate in microbiology-related outreach activities.
Can mycelium help us to understand the human experience?
Around the world, fungi are inspiring artists to rethink the human experience. Mycelium – the plant-like structure in which … a web-like network that is found in every corner of nature has been proven to send and receive messages from trees, plants, and mushrooms.
Mycelium has often been used as a metaphor in the tech world and it is easy to see why. The decentralised systems of thought found in coding is easy to liken to the webs of intelligence beneath our feet.
The boundaries cross to the world of Science fiction, for example in Star Trek: Discovery (20217) a ‘spore drive’ enables the USS Discovery to travel quantum realities through a mycelial network. The ship is led by Lieutenant Commander Paul Stamets, a reference to the world-leading mycologist and author of Mycelium Running (2005).
On Social media, @mycolyco hooks up oyster mushrooms and cordyceps to modular synths, which turn electrical impulses into sound.
In 2021 the exhibition, ‘Mushrooms: The Art, Design and Future of Fungi’ was held in Somerset House, London, showcasing the work of 40 artists, designers, and musicians; all with a love of fungi. It showcased observations, illustrations, and visual art from renowned and contemporary artists. As well as designs, architecture, and textiles in groundbreaking utilisations of mushrooms.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the inspiring artists and designers who are helping to shape and reimagine our relationship with this wonderful part of nature.
The British Mycology Society‘s mission is to promote fungal science and they recognise that art, in all its forms, provides a powerful route through which new audiences can be attracted to mycology. They know art provokes discussion and stimulates interest in the subject so they offer The Massee Arts Grant. Named after George Edward Massee, the first President of the British Mycological Society following its foundation in 1896. Massee was an artist whose paintings attracted the attention of M.C. Cooke, Head of Mycology at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, leading to the recognition of Massee’s work as a mycologist.
The Massee Arts Grant provides funding of £10,000 per annum (up to a maximum of £5000 per project) to support artists from all disciplines whose work helps encourage all sectors of society to engage and learn about the wonderful world of fungi.
The BMS provides a range of grants every year for all areas of mycology research and projects. The 2024 grant list can be found here.
