Fungi – a large group of organisms, including species that form mushrooms (spore-bearing fungi) – are among the oldest inhabitants of our planet and connect all life on Earth. They are a vital part of ecosystems and are found everywhere around us and even inside us. They have incredible powers of transformation: they turn rocks into soil, produce medicinal compounds and toxins, cause hallucinations, clean radioactive soil, and break down crude oil and plastic. Mushrooms Are Taking Over! visualizes how fungi transform everyday objects, buildings, and cities into fertile soil for a new beginning. The work was inspired by the writings of anthropologist Anne Tsing and biologist Merlin Sheldrake, and was created in collaboration with Slovenian microbiologist Primož Turnšek.

The video was first presented at the exhibition Polonca Lovšin, Forest in Women's Hands and Mushrooms at the End of the World, Forestry Institute Slovenia Gallery, Ljubljana, 2023. Supported by: City of Ljubljana – Department of Culture, Igor Zabel Association for Culture and Theory, KUD Obrat, Forest Encounters: Creative Europe 2023-2025. (Source: Polonca Lovšin)