Synk
2018

Baum & Leahy


Part of Institute for Queer Ecology’s travelling publication Common Survival

Exhibited in: 
Common Survival at Gas Gallery, Los Angeles

Towards a Common Survival, Prairie, Chicago

Synk is a healing ritual for the common survival of honey bees and humans alike. It is practiced by the Kin of the Mycohive, a movement facilitating healing between and within different species. Based on ancient practices of medicating with mushrooms, shared by both honeybees and humans, you are invited by the Kin to engage in an intimate ritual that honours this synchronised multispecies healing.

Known as ‘the mushroom of spiritual potency’, reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) has been used for millennia to nourish both physical and spiritual health. Whilst its immunological benefits for humans are widely known, only recently has research shown that honey bees also use this mushroom to self-medicate. In both honey bees and humans the consumption of reishi has been shown to extend lifespan and reduce the effects of viruses.

This shared spectrum of healing inspires a sensitivity towards the complexity of honey bee health and survival, as well as its deep entanglement with our own. To celebrate this shared healing practice across species, the Kin invite you to drink the following remedy.