Madeira Park will be the gathering place for registrants from 12 countries coming Oct. 18 to 22 for the 17th international Fungi and Fibre Symposium. Held every two years in a different country, this will be the first time it has ever been held in Canada. The Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild and the Sunshine Coast Society for the Hunting, Gathering and Observation of Mushrooms (SHROOM) are jointly hosting the Symposium.
The Symposium begins with a welcome dinner on Monday. Over the next four days, participants will be able to take part in a variety of West Coast themed workshops led by local and visiting instructors. They include cedar basket making, nuno felting and needle felting, eco-printing, drop spindling, and turkeytail mushroom jewelry. Most workshops will use mushrooms or fibre that has been dyed using mushrooms. Dye pots will be in constant use as the chemistry and techniques of dyeing with mushrooms and lichens are explored and every last drop of colour is extracted from the exhaust baths. Participants will also experience the spectacular West Coast rain forest firsthand as they go out on guided forays with mushroom society members and local and visiting experts to discover and identify local mushrooms, some of which are known to give wonderful colours.
The public is welcome to visit. An exhibit and sale of mushroom-inspired and dyed items crafted by Symposium participants will be open to the public on the afternoons of Oct. 19, 20 and 21, 3 to 5:30 p.m. in the Harbour Room at the Painted Boat Resort, the Symposium headquarters. There will also be a display of mushrooms that have been collected during the mushroom festival (taking place Oct. 14 to 16) and on the Symposium forays.
See more at www.facebook.com/fungiandfibre2016 and fungiandfibre2016.org
