You Are A Mushroom Having A Human Experience - Brighton
Darren Le Baron is a specialist mushroom educator & researcher. He will be leading a talk and workshop in Brighton this September supported by Oli Genn-Bash.
When:
Wednesday 4th September
Start: 7:00pm
End: 9:30pm
Where:
St Lukes, 60 Old Shoreham Road, Brighton, BN1 5DD
What:
Darren Le Baron visits Brighton to to talk about all things fungi, including the “fungal fact” that we are mushrooms having a human experience.
Yes that’s correct… did you also know you that your ancestors were alien visitors to this planet, they arrived here many moons ago, bringing with them extra-terrestrial resources and technology… plus some special ingredients that would permit life as we know it on the planet we call Earth today.
Darren will be presenting his talk about the history and nature of mycology and its human connections. He will reveal to you the amazing world of fungi, in his usual thought provoking and engaging way.
He will also share some of the latest scientific research, as well as exploring the ancient symbolism of mushrooms. Come and discover the hidden, and in some cases taboo knowledge and how it has become encoded in many cultures in our modern world!
We will have a special guest speaker Max Mudie in the building known for his incredible fungi photography and one of the organisers of the All Things Fungi Festival. He will take us on a journey into the micro world of fungi plus more.
Darren will also be hosting his famous Shroomshop: Mushroom Cultivation for Beginners the following day
ABOUT YOUR PRESENTERS
Darren Le Baron is an educator specialising in mycology and psychedelic research, and is based in the UK and Jamaica.
Known around the world for his Shroomshop Master classes he is a keen mushroom cultivator and teacher. He has been growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms for ten years and has translated his home growing experiences into a social enterprise.
Darren is a knowledgeable and dynamic speaker who is passionate about sharing his research and findings on ethnomycology, ancient African plant medicines and their various applications.
He is a member and presenter at the London Psychedelic Society, a chair and Breaking Convention committee member. He is also a regular presenter at the Detroit Psychedelic Conference, Ozora, Noisily Lightning in a Bottle and the All things Fungi Festivals, as well as numerous gatherings around the world sharing his extensive research on psychedelics and how they can help support humanity in the here and now.
Collectively his work aims to inform and empower individuals from diverse backgrounds to cope with social challenges and contribute to community development as well as self-improvement in an innovative, creative, culturally-aware style.
Max Mudie lens has been focused on Fungi & Myxomycetes for the past 6 years but his connection with fungi stems back over 20 years. His imagery posted mainly on Instagram @allthingsfungi has gained him recognition with international platforms and magazines, and last year he was shortlisted for Close-up Photographer of the Year.
His deep dive into mycology means he's found and identified hundreds if not thousands of species, many of which we know little about. He's contributed to the Darwins Tree of Life project at Kew Gardens with wild clones and is an active member of the Sussex Fungus group.
His recent macro photography workshops at the Royal Parks London have been in high demand. With these sessions, he hopes to make macro photography accessible regardless of equipment or training.
Most recently he’s partnered with Sugi documenting the Fungi and Myxomycetes as part of their rewilding projects. Sugi has created pocket forests planted with native species in city centres around the world.
Max’s studies and knowledge gained have led him to work with Natural England surveying grassland species and conducting soil analysis on sites of scientific importance in the UK.
He is also the co-founder of All Things Fungi Festival, the UK’s first weekend camping and Fungi-specific educational event.
Oli Genn-Bash is the Co-founder of the University of Kent Canterbury Psychedelics Society - the longest running student psychedelics society in the UK since 2009. Since this time, the society has hosted hundreds of events, as well as being the catalyst for the first ever Breaking Convention conference held at the university in 2011.
The UKC Psychedelic Society aims to provide multidisciplinary information, research and news about the use and history of psychedelics. This society is not an inherently pro-drug organisation, rather a society that aims to educate students about a fascinating class of chemicals and plants. Disciplines and areas of relevant interest include the following: psychiatric use; chemical properties; the link to shamanism, spirituality and religion; their role in the evolution of modern man; law and politics; historical use; cultural perspectives; pharmacology and neurology; ethnobotany; medical safety; philosophy of freedom; and psychology of the psychedelic experience.
My interest in the world of psychedelic plants and fungi , as well as cannabis has given me the opportunity to host multiple speakers on a variety of topics, whilst speaking frequently at events such as the Breaking Convention multidisciplinary psychedelic conference and the UK's largest natural medicines event, Product Earth.
This interest has led me to explore the relationship between humans, plants, and fungi in greater detail and allowed me to connect with thought-leaders in this space within my role as Head of Mycology at Product Earth. As an amateur mycologist, I am always keen to gain more knowledge about this exciting lifeform!
I am a politics postgraduate, with a focus on philosophy, mysticism, critical thinking, and a flair for analytical thought, along with a passion for connecting with people to empower and collaborate effectively. I enjoy the coming together of diverse perspectives to foster meaningful connections, where I can utilise my creativity as a musician to explore innovative solutions.
My fascination with the world of politics and philosophy fuels my curiosity about complex issues and drives me to instil an open-minded approach to the world.
Much like mycelium, I believe in connecting with others to find where collaboration can occur and resources can be shared.
