A Meander in the Mycosphere
Alison Pouliot, The Australian National University
Environmentally-themed conferences are taking place all around the world as I type. More often than not, discussions occur within the confines of soporific seminar rooms, far from the actual environments discussed. As part of the Environmental Justice, “Collapse” and the Question of Evidence Workshop held in Switzerland in September 2015, I proposed a foray through local nature reserves as a way of enriching conversations – both through multisensory engagement and the catalyzing effect of movement, of walking. Multi-sensory perception – or aesthesis – enables us to consider the environment not as an inert background to discussions, but as intrinsic to dynamic and creative thinking. In situ discussions expose the spaces-in-between, reminding us that issues of environmental justice extend beyond Homo sapiens. They also foster opportunity to explore the intersections of wonder and understanding.