Dropping Spores in Singapore & Bewildering Mycelium Creations | Ng Sze Kiat

Ep. 140:

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