Symbiocene Institute

The Symbiocene Institute is fascinated by all things mycelium. Artist Sam Shoemaker’s extraordinary Mushroom Boat not only captures our imagination, it sparks a sense of what becomes possible when human creativity works in partnership with nature. Using wild Ganoderma mushrooms collected near his LA studio, Sam cultivated a 4.6 metre kayak by propagating mycelium in a mould, drying it into a strong cork-like material sealed only with beeswax. He then made a 42km crossing of the Catalina Channel through open ocean. The Mushroom Boat and new work from Sam’s ongoing AquaFung research is being shown at FULCRUM ARTS, Pasadena, California until 08 February 2026. We are now wondering whether there can be a magical coming-together of two of our wonderful Symbiocene Institute partners - Vert Design headed by elite rower and biomaterial explorer Andrew Simpson and PLP Architecture with their deep commitment to building and innovating with Mycelium. We’re just floating the idea… Ron Bakker Kate Wilson Brandon Gien Melissa Gilbert Camille Goldstone-Henry Arielle Breit Abigail Thomas Andy Marks Caity Duffus Savannah Willits Abhinav Chaudhary #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg   #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive   #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity   #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions #purpose   #mycelium #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture   #art #culture #naturerbasedsolutions

A significant milestone approaches with the launch of our first Guide to Symbiocene Design. It’s a collaboration with our partners Good Design Australia & Vert Design & Symbiocene Institute Director Andy Marks is excited… Design made our world human-centred. It’s time to make it life-centred. Andrew Simpson Caity Duffus Brandon Gien Arielle Breit Ron Bakker Kate Wilson Camille Goldstone-Henry Melissa Gilbert Abigail Thomas #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg   #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive   #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity  #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions #purpose   #mycelium #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture   #art #culture #naturerbasedsolutions

We’re thrilled to be part of the AdaptNSW Forum 2025, where our Director, Andy Marks, will deliver the closing keynote. The Forum’s theme, Other Ways of Knowing, Thinking, Feeling and Doing, aligns with our thinking that a revolutionary paradigm shift is needed to change direction away from a bleak future. Our Symbio-Futures workshop at last year’s Forum saw climate adaptation practitioners optimism for the future increase by 36%, providing a key insight in to the power of Symbiocene engagement - increased optimism can help raise ambition and make people more motivated. Join us as we share insights and pathways to shape a thriving future. Marc Buckley 🌍 Andrew Simpson Brandon Gien Kate Wilson Camille Goldstone-Henry Melissa Gilbert Ron Bakker Brianna Barwise Catherine Kerr Abigail Thomas Arielle Breit Andrea Vargas Isaias Hernandez Caity Duffus #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions #purpose #mycelium #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture #art #culture #naturerbasedsolutions

The Symbiocene Institute is delighted to announce the formation of our inaugural Advisory Board. This group of visionary leaders brings an extraordinary breadth of expertise to our new organisation. Their experience across the built environment, the arts, design, government, impact measurement, science and the origination of the Symbiocene concept provides a strong foundation for our work in this key early stage. Our gratitude and delight cannot be understated Brandon Gien - Good Design Australia Brandon is the Founder and Chair of Good Design Australia, Chair of the Australian Good Design Awards and Executive Director of the Australian Design Council. Camille Goldstone-Henry - Xylo Systems Camille is a multi-award winning tech entrepreneur and scientist, a proud Kamilaroi woman and board member of WWF Australia. Glenn A. Albrecht - Architect of the Symbiocene Glenn is an Honorary Associate in the School of Geo-sciences, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He retired as Professor of Sustainability, Murdoch University, in mid-2014. He continues to work as an environmental philosopher and published a book, Earth Emotions, with Cornell University Press in 2019. Earth Emotions was published in French and Spanish in 2020. Kate Wilson - Biodiversity, Climate and Sustainability Advisor Kate is an independent biodiversity, climate and sustainability advisor chairing the international Net Zero Futures Policy Forum, providing advice to the NSW Minister for the Environment as a member of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Advisory Panel and a member of the advisory board of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Melissa Gilbert - UnitePlayPerform Melissa is an award-winning multidisciplinary Australian contemporary artist, educator, and experience designer. She is a descendant of the Mununjali Clan of the Yugambeh Nation in South East Queensland, with links to Quandamooka. Ron Bakker - PLP Architecture Ron Bakker is a co-founder of PLP Architecture and leads PLP Labs, the studio’s in-house research and innovation arm. His experience reaches far and wide, with projects across the UK, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions #purpose #mycelium #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture #art #culture #naturerbasedsolutions

In Namibia, MycoHAB has reimagined housing, food & land restoration as parts of one system. The project has been led by architect Christopher Maurer of redhouse studio architecture and multi-solves with mycelium: 🌿 Tackles invasive bush – The water-hungry 'encroacher bush' threatens grasslands & accelerates desertification. MycoHAB harvests the bush to help restore ecosystems 🍄 Produces food – The bush is used as substrate for mushroom cultivation, creating nutritious oyster mushrooms for local markets 🧱 Builds with mycelium – The leftover mycelium is pressed into MycoBlocks with compressive strength comparable to concrete, used to build homes 🌍 Sequesters carbon – Carbon drawn down by the bush and fungi remains stored in every block A prototype home has already proven the model’s impact removing 13 tons of bush, producing 3 tons of mushrooms & sequestering 13 tons of carbon MycoHAB aligns with six of the Symbiocene Institute’s guiding principles: > Renewable - Harvesting resources without depleting ecosystems > Generative - Multiplies value by restoring land, producing food, building homes & creating livelihoods > Protective - Helps grasslands recover, protects water systems & increases resilience > Creative - Establishes new symbiotic human–fungi relationships with multiple benefits > Symbiotechnology - Uses mycelium as a ‘nature technology’ for sustainable construction > Within Boundaries - Helps keep human housing within ecological limits, tackling desertification & resource pressures Images by MycoHAB with thanks to Christopher Maurer Camille Goldstone-Henry Catherine Kerr Brandon Gien Kate Wilson Melissa Gilbert Ron Bakker Caity Duffus Arielle Breit Abigail Thomas Savannah Willits Andrea Vargas Abhinav Chaudhary #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions #purpose #mycelium #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture #art #culture #naturerbasedsolutions

Our partnership with Good Design Australia and Vert Design is culminating in the launch of the Symbiocene Design Guidebook  It introduces Symbiocene-compatible design as a practical methodology to help reconcile human needs and desires with the needs of nature and future generations The approach aligns with and surpasses prevailing circular economy practice, raising ambition and shifting focus upstream to drive net-positive outcomes from concept stage onward. Symbiocene-compatible design drives circular economy innovation by: 🌿 Integrating systemic ecological thinking into design from the outset 🗑️ Framing waste as a design failure rather than an unavoidable outcome 💡Multi-solving - creating design solutions that deliver environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits As we finalise our plans to launch the guidebook it’s great to hear how participants feel about the initiative - “I think it's so empowering to be part of something that is clearly going to be a knowledge base for future designers and I'm really proud that Vert has this relationship with the Symbiocene Institute.” Eloise Cleary, Industrial Designer, Vert Industrial Design More on the guidebook soon Brandon Gien Ron Bakker Andrew Simpson Caity Duffus Abigail Thomas Arielle Breit Andy Marks Camille Goldstone-Henry Kate Wilson Melissa Gilbert Niklavs Rubenis Emma Mills Trent Jansen Irene Perez Lopez Ian McArthur 麦卡瑟 伊恩Nila Rezaei Phoebe Ashe Asela Atapattu Leyla Acaroglu Simon Terry #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene   #esg #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity  #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions #purpose  #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture #art #culture #naturerbasedsolutions

Of the Oak by Marshmallow Laser Feast at London’s Kew Gardens was explored by Savannah Willits from PLP Architecture on a field trip for the Symbiocene Institute. Her evocative words describe the encounter… “It’s a mesmerizing display of breath, exchange and pulse. Underneath the soil, white sparks of mycelium rain down like fireworks as the scarlet red and cobalt blue arteries spiral out from under the trunk. Above ground misty blue flows of oxygen glide across the screen that react to people walking by. To the left is the oak shown on the screen - the famous Lucombe oak, one of the oldest trees at Kew Gardens. I cannot help but be in awe of everything happening within its knotted and bulging trunk and sweeping branches. The symbiotic relationship the oak cultivates with its environment teaches us there’s other, more viable and prosperous ways to live on Earth.” Of The Oak is an immersive installation celebrating the oak tree as a network of relationships. It focuses on the inner workings of the Lucombe oak creating a ‘digital double’ by using extensive real-world data captured in collaboration with Kew’s scientists and horticulturists. Of The Oak aligns with our Symbiocene Institute guiding principles: > Symbiotechnology - Combining data science, digital art and the oak’s own biological rhythms, it emotionally connects us with nature in order to increase our capacity to value it > Symbioship - The installation reframes the oak as kin, inviting us into a custodial relationship that honours the interconnectedness of all life The Symbiocene Institute is exploring interconnectedness as a way to interpret symbiosis beyond a fundamental scientific principle into a more emotional space. More to follow… Photography by Barney Steel / MARSHMALLOW LASER FEAST Ron Bakker Alex Davidson Brandon Gien Kate Wilson Camille Goldstone-Henry Melissa Gilbert Abigail Thomas Arielle Breit Andy Marks Caity Duffus Jonathon Heys Natalie Kyriacou OAM Vivienne Webb Sandrine Salzard Stephanie Caldy #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions #purpose #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture #art #culture #naturerbasedsolutions

Moss-powered air purification, we call it Symbiotechnology - In London, living walls of moss have been helping make polluted streets more breathable. Launched in 2018, CityTrees use moss’s natural ability to filter air, each unit as effective as 275 urban trees. Green City Solutions GmbH has since evolved this innovation into bio/digital systems that monitor, nourish & optimise mosses in both outdoor & indoor environments. Multi-solving with moss: 💨 Regulates microclimates – Mosses capture & bind inhalable particulate matter, nitrogen oxides & ozone 🏙️ Liveable cities – Reduces respiratory risks, helping cool surroundings 🦠 Nature + technology - Internet of things sensors support moss health & filter performance in real-time Aligned with our Symbiocene Institute guiding principles: > Symbiotechnology – Valuing moss as a ‘nature technology’, working with human tech to support health > Harmonious – Monitoring & adjusting conditions so mosses thrive while supporting city wellbeing > Creative – Evolving city infrastructure as living, symbiotic systems instead of inert surfaces Camille Goldstone-Henry Catherine Kerr Brandon Gien Kate Wilson Melissa Gilbert Ron Bakker Caity Duffus Arielle Breit Abigail Thomas Alethea Morison Rhonda Nelson AAICD Abigail Rath Savannah Willits Andrea Vargas Abigail Heywood #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions #purpose #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture #art #culture #naturerbasedsolutions

Conversations with Melissa Gilbert Founder & Director of UnitePlayPerform always illuminate our thinking on how art can change people's understanding of the world and the roles we can play “UnitePlayPerform is deeply aligned with the Symbiocene vision as our practice sits at the intersection of art, health, Indigenous wisdom and systems change. We design regenerative cultural frameworks and embodied experiences that seed Symbiocene futures through creativity, play and ecological responsibility” - Melissa Gilbert Melissa conceptualised, curated and collaborated as an artist on Unity Web - a collective contemporary artwork made by First Nations weavers - beautifully articulating some of what the work means to her in this excerpt from a film by Caity Duffus… Melissa Gilbert is an award-winning multidisciplinary Australian contemporary artist, educator and descendant of the Mununjali Clan of the Yugambeh Nation in South East Queensland, with links to Quandamooka. Credit: Unity Web - collective First Nations Artists:  Karleen Green Tegan Murdock  Amethyst Downing-McLeod Terase Kelly Nana Coral Foley Nadine Foley Dobby Melissa Gilbert  Arielle Breit Anna Cerneaz Emily Albert Brandon Gien Camille Goldstone-Henry Kate Wilson Ron Bakker Sandrine Salzard Sébastien Minchin Bourges, Capitale européenne de la Culture 2028 Abigail Thomas Sally Hill Kate Hurst Natasha Ritz Catherine Kerr #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience #circularity #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions  #purpose #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture #art  #culture

Redesigning farewells - how Mycelium coffins turn passing into renewal In Western societies, burials often rely on toxic and intensive resource use, from mined metals and hardwood caskets to chemical treatment processes and more. Loop Biotech offers a radically different approach. Each coffin is grown from mycelium, naturally biodegrading with it’s human contents, together enriching the soil. Multi-solving: 🍄 Grown with nature – Mycelium coffins take 7 days to grow without heat, light or heavy energy inputs 🌱Circular farewell – Coffins fully biodegrade in around 45 days putting nutrients into the soil 🌎 Cuts pollution – No toxic chemicals or resource-heavy manufacturing 👥 Cultural renewal – Connecting with nature can shift how we perceive death with new rituals of guardianship Demonstrating 5 of our Symbiocene Institute Guiding Principles: > Renewable – Made from rapidly replenishing, low-impact mycelium > Generative – Transforms death into life by nourishing ecosystems > Protective – Prevents environmental harm associated with conventional burials > Creative – Reimagines a human tradition through a symbiotic lens > Symbioship – People become active custodians in the cycle of life Camille Goldstone-Henry Catherine Kerr Brandon Gien Kate Wilson Melissa Gilbert Ron Bakker Caity Duffus Arielle Breit Abigail Thomas Andrew Simpson #SymbioceneInstitute #symbiosis #TheSymbiocene #esg #climate #design #industrialdesign #climatechange #naturepositive #productdesign #circulareconomy #adaptation #resilience  #circularity #change #leadership #climateaction #naturebasedsolutions  #purpose #theanthropocene #transformation #architecture #art  #culture