“Entangled Life”, “The Mushroom at the End of the World”, and “The Future is Fungi” — in recent years, many mushroom books have landed on literary bestseller lists, and rightly so. As we seek new methods and materials in the face of the climate crisis, the mushroom presents enormous potential with its versatility. Mushroom fabrics as sustainable textiles, mycelium as compostable insulation, and medicinal mushrooms to slow the aging process, strengthen the immune system and protect against cancer are just a few uses for the (not-so-humble) mushroom. The world of mushrooms is as diverse as it is exciting. And anyone who has ever jumped down this rabbit hole will find it hard to climb out of it. It was a similar story for Julian who answered the call of mushrooms in 2022 and set up his mushroom laboratory piece-by-piece in the basement catacombs of the artist and event space MaHalla in Schöneweide. Since then, he and his team have been cultivating reishi, lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms. They also host workshops, events and community meet-ups (all in the spirit of mushrooms). To grow mushrooms successfully at home, you need one thing above all: lots and lots of disinfectant spray, a steady hand, bird sand and grandma’s pressure cooker.
The processes are explained to you step-by-step during the workshops and you can even build your own jar for growing mushrooms at home: The mushrooms are grown in bags in a glass chamber under controlled temperatures and light. Afterwards, we harvested lion’s mane, which Lauren, Julian’s co-partner, made into delicious sandwiches. Not only were our heads full of new knowledge, but our bellies with fresh sandwiches! If you are curious and would like to experience the Mushroom Lab for yourself, send Mycelionaires an email to receive information about upcoming events. Alternatively, you can follow them on Instagram for updates. The workshops usually book out fast, so it pays to be quick!
Text: Laura-Luisa Iriondo / Photos: Natascha Hamel
Mycelionaires, Wilhelminenhofstr.76-77, 12459 Berlin–Oberschöneweide; map
@mycelionaires
