Signal from the Soil: A Day of Mycelium, Sound + Story
Museum of the Moving Image, Queens NY | Saturday, Jun 20, 2026 at 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Bio-sonification artist and musician Skooby Laposky translates the subtle electrical activity of mushrooms into immersive sound, revealing a hidden sonic ecology within living systems. This performance includes live sounds of mycelial networks, and is followed by a conversation between the artist and chemical engineer Jacob Belding, of CROPPS, a multi-institutional, NSF-funded research center based at Cornell University. Belding gives us the chemistry foundations that fuel Laposky’s ability to amplify plant activity, and tells us more about the research into plant signaling and communication, and how this knowledge leads to better success for food crops.
In MoMI’s Kaufman Courtyard, hands-on listening stations let you amplify mushroom sounds for yourself to hear more from fungi’s inner signals.
NYC greenspace stewards Big ReUse offers composting tips. Bronx urban farm Mi Oh My Farms kicks off the day with a culinary mushroom grow-bag workshop; exploring the intersection of microbiology, environmental stewardship, and food cultivation. Participants will create their own mushroom kits by combining fermented coffee grounds with hydrated cardboard and mushroom spores to cultivate gourmet fungi at home.
Limited space is available for these programs; RSVP is recommended.
Schedule of Activities
1:00–2:00 p.m. Edible Mushroom Growing Workshop with Mi Oh My Farms – RSVP here
1:00–5:00 p.m. Fungi Fellowship (Courtyard)
- Mushroom Listening Stations
- BigReUse composting info
- Mi Oh My Farms on mushroom growing
1:00–5:00 p.m. Happy Hour in the Cafe! 10% off beer, wine, and cocktails for Signal from the Soil ticket holders
2:30–4:00 p.m. Plant Sonification performance by Skooby Laposky, followed by a conversation with chemical engineer Jacob Belding about plant signaling (Bartos) – RSVP here
Free with museum admission. Seating is first come, first served.
Part of Open Worlds 2026 and Open Worlds: Science. Presented in partnership with New York Mycological Society. Email Maya Han at culture@newyorkmyc.org if questions.
