Ep. 140: Dropping Spores in Singapore & Bewildering Mycelium Creations (feat. Ng Sze Kiat)
Today on Mushroom Hour we the privilege to get to know mushroom cultivation artist Kiat. Kiat is the founder of Bewilder, a Mycological Design Studio based in Singapore. As the one-man R&D team behind this project, Kiat knows his science! For him, growing mushrooms is an intense and carefully tuned process that also blends in a fair bit of artistry and intuition. Before founding Bewilder, Kiat worked on a local farm cultivating mushrooms out of waste substrates. These years of experience and experimentation formed him into the self-taught mushroom cultivator he is today. As he explores ever more mysteries of growing fungi, he continues to bow his head humbly to the ways of nature.
TOPICS COVERED:
- Childhood Love of Nature Becomes a Mushroom Addiction
- Mycophobia and “Success Culture” in Singapore
- Showing What's Possible, Asking Questions
- Mushrooms as a Tool for Doing Good
- Founding Bewilder Design Studio
- Communities vs Competition in Myco-Entrepreneurship
- Myco-Composite Materials
- Government Control and Separation from Nature
- Seeking Out Native Strains for Food & Mycomaterials
- Mycelium Lampshades
- Being Humble, Recognizing Our Place in Nature
- Relinquishing Control, Reconnecting to Greater Consciousness
- Importance of Making Mistakes
- Bewilder Commercial Projects and Research Areas
EPISODE RESOURCES:
- Bewilder SG Website: https://www.bewildersg.com/
- Bewilder IG: https://www.instagram.com/bewildersg/
- Terrestrial Fungi (Inspiration): https://www.instagram.com/bewildersg/
- Ganoderma weberianum (fungus): https://www.mycobank.org/page/Name%20details%20page/name/Ganoderma%20weberianum
- Filoboletus manipularis (fungus): https://singapore.biodiversity.online/species/F-Basidomycota-000035
- Mycena chlorophos (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycena_chlorophos