Fungi Festival at Emmetts Garden, Kent
Art and sound installations will allow guests to connect with mushrooms in a totally different way
Image by Tony North
A brand new month-long Fungi Festival will take place at Emmetts Garden in west Kent, starting this weekend.
Launching with a two-day maker’s fair with jewellery, prints, crafts and sculpture inspired by fungi, a month-long event full of enriching experiences and new discoveries will help visitors to see the natural world beneath your feet in a completely different light.
Emmetts’ beautiful Edwardian garden, near Sevenoaks, will be packed with activities, workshops, talks, giant willow installations, and imagery all about these curious lifeforms.
The magic and beauty of native fungi are brought to life by two artists, whose work will change the way you see fungi. Get up close and personal with the macro photography of Tony North, who beautifully captures their ethereal nature and intricate details. In contrast, the artist Phyllis Ma’s work brings a psychedelic twist, with arresting bold colours and compositions that put fungi in the spotlight.
Immerse your senses in the woodland world that fungi inhabit by joining one of the workshops. Join field recordists and sound artists Nick Luscombe and Robin The Fog at a listening and playback installation, where you’ll hear a variety of sounds from around the garden, including the frequencies of the mushrooms themselves.
Relax and rejuvenate as you take part in forest bathing, led by specialist facilitator Helena Skoog, or take part in one of the mushroom growing workshops and guided photography sessions.
Relax and rejuvenate as you take part in forest bathing, led by specialist facilitator Helena Skoog, or take part in one of the mushroom growing workshops and guided photography sessions.
A programme of expert talks explores the history and purpose of the fungi that live in our gardens and woodland, including:
Fungal Visions: The Art and Aesthetics of Mushrooms by writer Sukayna Powell, who takes us on a journey through the long history of toadstools and mushrooms depicted in popular culture
The Radical Use of Mycelium as Product by Ehab Sayed and Ninela Ivanov explores how mycelium, the thread-like root structure of mushrooms, serves as inspiration in innovative, sustainable product design
A Gardener’s Guide to Fungi by head gardener Ignacio Silva de la Iglesia and national soil science consultant, Felicity Roos, who will explore whether fungi benefit or hinder our garden
Foraging - Friend or Foe? a walk and talk with our head ranger, Fraser Williamson, to discuss whether foraging is truly sustainable and the implications of foraging for mushrooms in the British countryside
The Festival runs from Saturday October 1 to Sunday October 30
