From Extraction to Being

From Extraction to Being: Reframing Mycelia as More than Material (2025)

This work xplores a simple question: What might it look like to build relationship with an organism? For this work, mycelia became the focus. Following its narrative and trails of its life world through human documentation, a pattern quickly became evident: extraction was at the core of this knowledge production. This project unpacks how scientific framing, under the pretense of objectivity, shapes the ways we build relationships with organisms and the Earth.

This research contributes to a growing body of knowledge around mycelia and introduces a perspective not yet fully explored, one that centers the life world and agency of the organism. The project situates itself within foundational literature through a philosophical and epistemological approach grounded in material science. Rather than regarding mycelia solely as a material resource, the work builds from speculative iteration to develop relational methodologies that prioritize care, routine, and attunement over extraction.