Devil’s Tooth & Vampire’s Bane – The Science & Aesthetics of Fungi
Throughout history, fungi have unsettled and enchanted in equal measure—organisms of uncanny form and ambiguous reputation. We are divided in our responses: some kneel to admire them, others dispatch them with a casual kick across the field.
Yet fungi reward closer attention. They can be understood not only through science, but through aesthetics—through the patterns, colors, and structures that arise from their hidden lives. This talk explores the fertile intersection of mycology and visual culture, tracing how fungal forms emerge from precise biological processes shaped by deep evolutionary time. We’ll encounter pigments, bioluminescence, and morphogenesis as expressions of underlying chemistry and genetics, while also considering how these features have been interpreted, stylized, and reimagined by human eyes.
This session invites you to see fungi not just as decomposers, but as living expressions of form, function, and emergent complexity.Alison will introduce us to both the science and aesthetics of fungi and also share some of her experiences during the photographing and writing of her recent books Funga Obscura: Photo Journeys Among Fungi & Mushroom Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Fungal Lives
More of Alison’s talks, workshops and forays can be viewed at this link.