Workshop & Lecture - In Fungi We Trust!
What happens when nature becomes sacred, without dogma? (Budget option available through e-mail)
During this immersive day we’ll explore how humans have always searched for meaning, and how that role is increasingly taken up by nature today. What if fungi are the new religion? ;) Not one built on dogma, but on curiosity, reciprocal care, and wonder.
We will dive into fungal folklore, myths, and stories from cultures around the world. Just as humans have long been inspired by religious figures and sacred imagery, organisms can inspire reflection and devotion too. This isn’t a new idea, but a very old one. Older than the monotheistic religions we know today. We will use mushrooms, stories, and symbols as a guide to explore how depicting what we love can deepen our relationship with it.
After the informative session you will be invited to journal and reflect on personal themes, and discover how those themes can be visually represented. Think of it as creating an icon. Not of a human figure, but of a fungal being.
Didem and Annelies will guide us in using shape, colour, composition, and contrast to influence visual perception. After choosing a mushroom you feel drawn to and writing down its symbolic importance to you, you will translate it int a visual representation.
Lecture:
- The role of religion and sacred imagery in shaping human devotion.
- Ancient symbols and iconography, and how they help us understand the world.
- Mushroom folklore and mythologies from around the world.
- Mycelium as a metaphor.
Why making something matters:
In different monotheistic traditions it is strictly prohibited to create depictions of god. But humans, are sensory, visual and emotional beings as opposed to just being rational thinkers.
Creating with your hands isn’t just craft, it’s connection. When we pay attention, shape, and depict what we love, we deepen our relationship with it.
Translating our fascination and wonder into tangible forms, like symbols or icons, can strengthen the bond we have with the natural world and make us want to care for it.
By creating, observing, and reflecting, wonder can become devotion.
The workshop:
- A guided journal session over lunch
- Choosing a mushroom that speaks to you
- Creating a sketch with guidance by Didem & Annelies
- Painting a ceramic altar piece with ceramic glaze
Your own personal mushroom 'saint’/altar!
Practical Information:
- Location: Keramiek Kafee Utrecht
- Date: September 19th 2026
- Time: 11.00 - 15.00
- Included: Lunch, coffee/tea & a sweet snack
- Price: sliding scale between €65 - €70
- Included: all materials, your own ceramic wall altar (+/- €40), tons of information, food and drinks.
Budget option: We don't want money to be a problem. Do you want to join but is the price not feasible for you? Please don't hestitate to send me an e-mail or instagram DM. We have a budget option available. <3
The workshop can only take place with a minimum of 15 participants.
Cancellation: You can cancel 48hours in advance. After that, it's sadly not possible to get your money back. If it's case of force majeure, please contact me so we can figure it out.
