a journey through matter and space

with Paul Stamets and Laraaji

conceived and directed by Phil Ross

Sat Nov 4 at 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

1245 N Spring St Los Angeles CA 90012

Fathomers invites you to join us for MYCO-COSMOS, a guided exploration of biology, space travel and the interconnected universe led by famed mycologist Paul Stamets, with live accompaniment by new age musical legend Laraaji.

Conceived as part of Fathomers' ongoing collaboration with artist/mycologist Phil Ross to grow spacesuits and other astronautical provisions from fungal, mycelium-based materials, this outdoor performance aims to inspire an evening of ecstatic learning about how organisms move through the world — those vast, strange trips — and convey an alternative approach to the typical visualization and modeling of organic phenomena.

MYCO-COSMOS is free and open to the public. Limited seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and attendees are welcome to bring blankets and chairs into the park. Gates open at 6 p.m.; performance begins promptly at 7.

Fathomers is a non-profit creative research institute dedicated to producing transformative sites and encounters at the intersections of science, technology and contemporary art. Please visit www.fathomers.org for more information, or email us at yes@fathomers.org.

Paul Stamets, D.Sc., is the author of six books, including "Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World," "Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World," and "Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms." He has received numerous awards, including the Mycological Society of America’s Gordon and Tina Wasson Award — for attracting more students to the field of mycology than anyone in history — and was named a 2014-2015 Invention Ambassador by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His influence is also visible in pop culture: Starfleet astromycologist Lt. Paul Stamets (portrayed by actor Anthony Rapp) now appears in the 2017 "Star Trek: Discovery" series on CBS.

Laraaji Nadabrahmananda is a meditator, laugh-master and cosmic musician who has performed in Europe, Asia and in the United States with his specially designed electric zither. He also uses the African Mbire, piano, synthesizers, hand drums, percussions, Tibetan gong, and voice in his presentations. Early collaboration with producer Brian Eno led to Laraaji's first internationally distributed recording, "Ambient #3: Day of Radiance." He has performed and released albums consistently since the late 1970s.

As an artist, Phil Ross has exhibited work at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Jurassic Technology; as a bioengineering scholar at Stanford University, he’s working to develop an internet of biological things. He’s also co-founder and CEO of MycoWorks, a start-up that turns mycelium (the threadlike, vegetative part of mushrooms) into building bricks and leather — where he’s poised to revolutionize the materials industry with bio-design.