For new modes of designing: report of the experience Becoming-fungal!

Abstract

The unsettling climate, environmental, social, and subjective configurations representing what some have termed the Anthropocene, call for a rethinking of design and other project disciplines. Especially in the field of design for sustainability, there is a noticeable possibility of opening gaps to seek and propose new modes of creation inspired by ecologies and intertwined with multi-species studies. This article suggests the opportunity to seek project partnerships that are other-than-human. And how these partnerships can help us think about and undertake design in different ways. The article is guided by the account of the experience "Becoming-Fungus! Mycelium as a method" developed by Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez. The activity is organized through collective questions and reflections on the lifestyles of fungi. Finally, the creative teachings derived from this experience are brought into the design field. In times of solutionisms, individualisms, and simplifications, the article proposes questions, unusual partnerships, and complexities.