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Follow us into the mysterious Kingdom of Mushrooms

Welcome to the first Viennese Pilzfestspielen!

In September, when the mushroom season in the Vienna Woods is at its peak, we will turn Vienna into the capital of mushroom science for a week.

Enjoy breathtaking documentaries about mushrooms and their fascinating properties and meet other mushroom enthusiasts at the evening events. A beautiful photo exhibition and captivating lectures by renowned scientists await you.

Our partners are offering exciting courses this week, which you can book directly with them. You'll need to hurry to secure a spot. Delicious mushroom dishes await you in the Pilzfestspiele restaurants.

Choose wisely from the Pilzfestspiele menu.

Welcome to Funga!
Wolfgang & René from MyPilz

Pilzfestspiele 2023 Aftermovie

organizer

Supporters of Pilzfestspiele

Supporters of Pilzfestspiele

Fauna · Flora · Fungi · 

Program

Monday 18.09.

Macro photography exhibition

2:00 PM – 10:00 PM | ausstellungsraum.at | Gumpendorferstrasse 23, 1060 Vienna | Free admission

Tuesday 19.09.

Workshop “Sterile Working” in ausstellungsraum.at

10:00 – 14:00 | ausstellungsraum.at | Gumpendorferstraße 23, 1060 Vienna

Macro photography exhibition

2:00 PM – 10:00 PM | ausstellungsraum.at | Gumpendorferstraße 23, 1060 Vienna | Free admission

Lecture by Marius Müßler: “Hidden Worlds – Slime Mold Photography” in the Macro photography exhibition

Start 7:00 PM | ausstellungsraum.at | Gumpendorferstrasse 23, 1060 Vienna | Free admission

Opening 6:00 PM | Viktoria – Space for artistic research and social design | Viktoriagasse 5, 1150 Vienna | Free admission

Wednesday 20.09.

Macro photography exhibition

10:00 – 18:00 | ausstellungsraum.at | Gumpendorferstraße 23, 1060 Vienna | Free admission

10:00 – 17:00 | Viktoria – Space for artistic research and social design | Viktoriagasse 5, 1150 Vienna | Free admission

Thursday 21.09.

10:00 – 17:00 | Viktoria – Space for artistic research and social design | Viktoriagasse 5, 1150 Vienna | Free admission

“Fungi Miso Mini Workshop” at Viennese Miso

15:00 – 16:00 | Viennese Miso | Wilhelmstrasse 30, 1120 Vienna

Mushroom cinema in Filmpalast

10 Days in the Forest | Planet Fungi: North East India | The Mushroom Speaks

Start: 7:00 PM | Schikaneder cult cinema | Margaretenstraße 22, 1040 Vienna
After the films: panel discussion with mushroom experts

Pilzfestspiele Get-Together

9:00 PM – 4:00 AM | Schikaneder Bar | Margaretenstraße 22, 1040 Vienna | Free admission
Music by: DJ Fresh Andy (Fungi Future) | Visuals by: Dub Hamster

Friday 22.09.

10:00 – 17:00 | Viktoria – Space for artistic research and social design | Viktoriagasse 5, 1150 Vienna | Free admission

“Fungi Miso Mini Workshop” at Viennese Miso

15:00 – 16:00 | Viennese Miso | Wilhelmstrasse 30, 1120 Vienna

Workshop Mushroom Identification & Poisonous Mushrooms in the City Farm

5:00 PM to 8:00 PM | City Farm Augarten | Obere Augartenstraße 1, 1020 Vienna

Pop-Up Event FungiCarve exhibition

5:00 PM to 8:00 PM | City Farm Augarten | Obere Augartenstraße 1, 1020 Vienna

Mushroom cinema in Filmpalast

The Kingdom: How Fungi Made Our World | CONSIDERING FUNGI | Planet Soil

Start: 7:00 PM | Schikaneder cult cinema | Margaretenstraße 22, 1040 Vienna
After the films: Panel discussion with Valerie Seitz (Permaculture Austria Academy), Florian Amlinger (Compost – Development & Consulting) and René Lux (MyPilz)

Pilzfestspiele Get-Together

9:00 PM – 4:00 AM | Schikaneder Bar | Margaretenstraße 22, 1040 Vienna | Free admission
Music by: B.Ranks & Dj Odd (OFFTHEGRID) | Visuals by: Dub Hamster

Saturday 23.09.

Lecture series in Auditorium

Merlin Sheldrake | Irmgard Krisai-Greilhuber | J. Philipp Benz | and much more

Admission: 10:30 – 17:00 | Lecture Hall 1, University of Vienna | Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, 1090 Vienna

“Fungi Miso Mini Workshop” at Viennese Miso

10:00 – 11:00 | Viennese Miso | Wilhelmstrasse 30, 1120 Vienna

Mushroom cinema in Filmpalast

Fantastic Fungi | Descending the Mountain

Start: 7:00 PM | Schikaneder cult cinema | Margaretenstraße 22, 1040 Vienna

Pilzfestspiele Get-Together

9:00 PM – 4:00 AM | Schikaneder Bar | Margaretenstraße 22, 1040 Vienna | Free admission
Music by: DJ Pony Polster (DER PONYHOF) | Visuals by: Questio

Sunday 24.09.

“Fungi Miso Mini Workshop” at Viennese Miso

15:00 – 16:00 | Viennese Miso | Wilhelmstrasse 30, 1120 Vienna

Auditorium

Saturday, September 23 | Lecture Hall 1, University of Vienna | Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, 1090 Vienna

During the lecture series in the auditorium, outstanding scientists will talk about the fascinating world of mycology, the big questions of science, and exciting applications of fungi and their properties.

Merlin Sheldrake

Merlin is a biologist and author of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures, a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and winner of the Royal Society Book Prize and the Wainwright Prize. Merlin is a research associate of the Vrije University Amsterdam, and works with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks and the Fungi Foundation. A keen brewer and fermenter, he is fascinated by the relationships that arise between humans and more-than-human organisms.

Photo: Hanna-Katrina Jedrosz

Irmgard Krisai-Greilhuber

Irmgard Krisai-Greilhuber is a mycologist at the Department of Botany and Biodiversity at the University of Vienna and heads the Austrian Mycological Society. She has long been fascinated by mushrooms and is dedicated to researching native fungi and disseminating knowledge about them. She helped establish Austria's mushroom database, contributed to the Red List of Threatened Mushrooms in Austria, leads excursions and citizen science projects, is involved in mushroom consultations, and identifies mushrooms for the poison control hotline.

Photo: Reischer

J. Philipp Benz

The research area of Philipp Benz’s professorship (“Fungal Biotechnology in Wood Science”) is the fungal degradation processes of biomass with a focus on the substrate wood.

What does a fungus "think" when it grows on plant biomass, and how does it use information from its environment to specifically adapt its metabolism to the substrate? We want to use the findings from our research to better utilize fungi and their plant cell wall-degrading enzymes in biorefinery applications from renewable biomass and agricultural residues. Our main systems are filamentous ascomycetes, commonly known as "molds," such as Neurospora crassa, Aspergillus niger, and Trichoderma reesei. Due to their long-standing use in genetic and cell biology research, a large number of molecular tools are available for these fungi. These fungi also utilize complex plant biomass, making them ideally suited for our research.

In addition, we are also attempting to morphologically and biochemically characterize the process of colonization and growth of white and brown rot fungi in wood substrates. We are using the resulting findings to develop new fungal-based composite materials.

Friederike Hoberg

Friederike Hoberg is a trained biochemist who completed her master's degree at the Technical University of Berlin, where she focused primarily on fungal research. She discovered her passion for fungi and fungal-based products during an initial internship at the Department of Applied and Molecular Microbiology under the supervision of Prof. Vera Meyer. In this project, she explored the production of mycelium-based biomaterials and the analysis of their life cycle. She subsequently researched fungi primarily at the molecular level.

Since 2020 she has been a member of the SciArt collective MY-CO-X, which, as an interdisciplinary team, aims to share the potential of fungi with society through various art projects.

Her current project revolves around colors, specifically those made from fungi. In 2022, she and fashion and textile designer Birke Weber developed the concept MycoColors—fungus-based dyes and pigments for the fashion and textile industry. Her doctoral studies at the Department of Applied and Molecular Microbiology at TU Berlin also focus on this topic.

Bertram Schmidt

He has been interested in mushrooms since childhood, first in the edible ones, later in the beautiful ones (photography) and finally in all mushrooms, even their initially invisible forms.

At Prof. Vera Meyer’s Department of Applied and Molecular Microbiology at TU Berlin, he heads the group for mycelium-based biomaterials.
The goal is to use fungal mycelium cultures to grow novel materials that serve as alternatives to conventional, environmentally harmful materials such as plastics. The principle is always circularity: made from renewable raw materials and completely biodegradable after use. A completely new branch of biotechnology is currently emerging organically here.
To this end, not only the possibilities of traditional university research or applied economic development are used, but also “citizen science”, i.e. science open to all (!) and art-science cooperation.

Monika Schmoll

Monika Schmoll's research focuses on how fungi react to their environment and how they find and utilize nutrients. She is particularly interested in the influence of daylight on fungi, which many of them use to regulate their metabolism and reproduction.

Wolfgang Hinterdobler

Wolfgang Hinterdobler is a passionate natural scientist and biotechnologist. His botany studies at the University of Vienna enabled him to conduct research at the La Gamba Tropical Station in Costa Rica. There, he investigated the components of tropical fungi that live in symbiotic relationships with plants. Fascinated by the complex interactions between fungi and plants, he continued his work at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and earned his doctorate on the topic of "Chemical Communication of Fungi" at the Vienna University of Technology.

Wolfgang aims to use this expertise to develop and implement sustainable and resource-efficient projects. By founding MyPilz, he's turned a lifelong fascination into a career.

Filmpalast

Thursday 21.09. to Saturday 23.09. | Schikaneder cult cinema | Margaretenstraße 22, 1040 Vienna

Fascinating documentaries and short films from all over the world will transport you into the realm of mushrooms. Be inspired by unique stories and images and discover the infinite facets of how mushrooms enchant us humans.

The Mushroom Speaks

THE MUSHROOM SPEAKS explores the healing qualities of fungi and their ability to regenerate. This personal journey takes on a walk alongside parasites, symbionts and decomposers offering ideas of both interconnectedness and collaboration. Driven by a vision of resistance, the encounters seek possibilities of renewal and question what connects us when the world seems to be falling apart. With mushrooms and their allies the film invites to imagine a myco-cultural (r)evolution. What if the fungus could help us address and radically change our relationship to this world?

Planet Soil

Join us in this underground adventure exploring the source of our existence.

Planet Soil is an exciting new movie that celebrates the beauty and importance of soil in our world. With its compelling storytelling and breathtaking imagery, Planet Soil invites us to appreciate, protect and reconnect with the vital role that soil plays in sustaining life on Earth. If you're looking for an inspiring and visually captivating movie that celebrates the natural world, Planet Soil is a must-see.

10 Days in the Forest

A documentary about connections and encounters, entangled with a conversation on how fungi fuel dreams and never fail to wonder.

Giuliana Furci and Jean-Marc Moncalvo spent 10 days in a temperate rainforest in the Patagonian fjords and made this film that reflects on why mycologists go into the cold and wet forests to search for new species and on the way, encounter their inner selves.Written and directed by Mateo Barrenengoa.

Planet Fungi: North East India

In the ultimate armchair travel adventure, the hero of fungi lovers across the globe, photographer Stephen Axford, is on the hunt for the answers we all want to know. A breathtaking and magical fungi safari to one of the most remote places on the planet – the eastern Himalayas.

The Kingdom: How Fungi Made Our World

The amazing story of nature's great survivor: fungi. Not plants, not animals, but a distinct biological realm, fungi have been essential to the evolution of all life on land. And they may hold the key to mankind's future.

Descending the Mountain

This film takes you on a journey of mystical revelations through magic mushrooms and meditations. In 'Descending the Mountain' psychiatrist Franz Vollenweider and Zen master Vanja Palmers create a ground-breaking scientific experiment located on the majestic Mount Rigi in Switzerland. The film shows if and how, when united, psilocybin and meditation might expand our understanding of the nature of consciousness. Leaving the iconic visuals of the 60's behind, 'Descending the Mountain' uses animation, sound, and AI to create a new visual language for the transcendent experience of oneness with nature.

Fantastic mushrooms

The magical world beneath our feet takes us on a captivating journey into a subterranean network that can heal and save our planet. Through the eyes of renowned scientists and mycologists like Paul Stamets ("the world's most renowned mushroom expert," according to SZ Magazine), the film reveals the beauty, intelligence, and solutions that the fungal kingdom offers us as answers to some of our most pressing medical, therapeutic, and ecological challenges. Directed by Louie Schwartzberg, the result is a mind-bending film that has already caused a sensation in the US and received rave reviews.

Considering Fungi - Facilitating Habitat Formation in Boreal Forests

In the boreal forest ecosystem, deadwood is so much more than just a substrate to grow on. The amount of biodiversity which can be supported is intrinsically bound up with the amount and the diversity of deadwood. As our forests become more homogeneous, so does the deadwood, and in turn, the species we find. Our ecologically fragmented landscapes select for a very small group of forestry-favoured species, and select against the vast majority of wood-inhabiting fungi, soil-dwelling fungi, as well as non-fungal saproxylic biodiversity. In what ways can we facilitate the formation of suitable habitats for rare & endangered species of fungi? What is important to think about when creating new deadwood? Why is it beneficial for conservation work to include Fungi in the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species? This is the first episode in a series about bringing the needs of Fungi into focus within conservation, ecological restoration, and forest management.

Fungi shape our future · 

Exhibition

Monday, September 18th to Wednesday, September 20th | ausstellungsraum.at | Gumpendorferstrasse 23, 1060 Vienna | Free admission

The exhibition features newly discovered mushroom species, breathtaking macro shots, impressive time-lapse videos and handmade mushroom models.

Katrin Schwuchow

Kevin Moldenhauer

Karsten Buch

Barry Webb

Fiona Ross

Joseph Pallante

Meg Madden

Marius Muessler

Alan Rockefeller

Gim Siew Tan

Excursions

The festival also offers mushroom workshops and hikes in the Vienna Woods. In small groups, you can immerse yourself in the world of fungi with scientists and mycologists.

Sterile work for hobby mycologists

In this interactive course, we'll teach you the basics of working sterilely with mushroom cultures. Mushroom cultivation is a fascinating hobby, but knowledge of sterile techniques is crucial to success.

During the workshop, we will show you how to minimize contamination and create an optimal environment for the growth of fungal cultures. You will learn how to set up sterile work areas, including the use of sterile tools and materials. We will demonstrate how to prepare agar plates, transfer fungal spores or mycelium to the plates, and monitor the growth of the cultures.

 

Mushroom identification & poisonous mushrooms

Fear is a constant! Everyone knows the question of all questions when it comes to mushroom hunting: Are they poisonous? The often visually thin line between edible and poisonous mushrooms often results in only the classics ending up in the basket.

We will take a closer look at this delicate topic and take a special look at the possible substitutes for our favorite mushrooms, such as porcini mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms, and the like. What's more, we will also get to know new and truly magnificent edible mushrooms from their close relatives, which often remain in the forest due to uncertainty.

Fungi Miso Mini Workshop

Experience firsthand, using all your senses, what the koji mushroom looks like, tastes, smells, and feels like! Learn what koji is, what kind of mold it is, and what culinary possibilities you can use it for. In this workshop, you'll make your own miso with koji mushroom under expert guidance and take it home to mature.

Mushroom field course of the ÖMG

Three full-day excursions to various areas in the Vienna area with Romana Brandstätter and Christian Apschner. Stamina and good physical fitness are required for participation in the excursions. We will be out in the field for four to five hours per day. Depending on the area, refreshment stops will be available at restaurants. The excursions will take place regardless of the weather.

Course content:

  • Identification of fungi in the field
  • Getting to know identifying features
  • Basics of species knowledge
  • Basic knowledge of medicinal mushrooms
  • Ecology, site science and environmentally relevant topics
  • Mushroom protection regulations

Participants are requested to attend on all days of the event.

Pop-Up Events

The vision of Pilzfestspiele is to connect mushroom enthusiasts and create a platform for mushroom events. We are very excited about the first Pilzfestspiele pop-up events.

Try, feel, fail. Learn. Think. Play. Observe

With their extensive subterranean networks, their strategies of symbiosis, and their diverse manifestations, the world of fungi represents a vibrant counter-model to traditional concepts of art and science. Through their remarkable ability to regenerate ecological systems, fungi reveal themselves as effective agents that, in a "multispecies assemblage," make the idea of "different futures" (Anna Tsing) tangible. Employing various artistic and research approaches, the exhibition makes fungi the starting point for a playful and open-ended exploration of relational, non-binary, and ahierarchical concepts of art and knowledge production.

With contributions from Paula Flores, Taro Knopp, Mouldelling Design aka Theresa Hajek, Samire Gurgurovci and Salma Shaka, Pilzbrüder aka Martin and Otto Kammerlander, Jonas Studer, Kristin Weissenberger
Curated by Mycelial Space / Sarah Kolb and Jutta Strohmaier

FungiCarve exhibition

FungiCarve allows you to explore the colorful diversity of our mushrooms up close. Thanks to the photorealistic, 1:1 scale replicas and the skillful use of technology and color, the models look almost identical to the real thing. Even some exotic species lurk among them that you may not have found yet.

Feast & Drink

Let yourself be tempted by the fascinating aromas of mushroom cuisine and enjoy a culinary experience with seasonal mushroom dishes. An evening program will also be provided.

Accommodation and directions

Dear festival guests, last but not least, we would be delighted if you would travel by public transport and stay overnight in Europe's first SDG Hotel.

Accommodation

The Boutique Hotel Stadthalle has a strong connection to the environment and, along with its guests, feels a strong sense of responsibility. With great effort, the hotel has become the world's first SGD city hotel with a net-zero energy footprint. This means the hotel strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Directions

For our visitors coming from further afield, we recommend using the public transport network. Vienna's public transport system will take you anywhere quickly and reliably. Those arriving by train can also book accommodation directly with our Partner hotel Get a ten percent discount. Not only does it protect the environment, but it also saves your wallet.

Find your perfect connection:
www.wienerlinien.at
www.westbahn.at
www.oebb.at