Through Two Doors At Once

Abstract

Through Two Doors At Once explores the Kingdom of Fungi and associated communities through a Thesis Paper and Digital Zine. The entire ecosystem of Earth is fused with fungi. It allowed the transformation of marine plants to plants with land roots which gave life to terrestrial beings. What we see as mushrooms on the surface is a fraction of the organism itself. Below the surface of the soil is a vast and complex entanglement of mycelium, the fuzzy, white, root-like structure that acts like a network. The network of mycelium connects trees, plants, ecosystems, allowing for communication and transferring of nutrients; symbiosis. The Book Project investigates this world through watercolors, photographs, research notes, thoughts, and drawings. The Thesis Paper delves deeper into the science behind the classification of organisms, the partnerships between fungi and other lifeforms, as well as personal research. In both the paper and book an alternate perspective to how humans view nature as separate parts are explained as an entangled web of existence. Whether we reach the full understanding of that or not, the reality of life continues.