Lessons from the Pioneers of a World Changing Cultural Shift. A Historical Analysis of the Commercial Beginnings of the Mycelium Initiative Concept

Today, in 2051, the majority of the world’s leading historians recognize the ‘Mycelium Initiative’ as the 2020s catalyst for the mass cultural shift towards a holistic ecological mentality. Solveig Marie Siem and Håkon Wille identify the beginning of it all in a project for local climate action in a small Norwegian town that eventually developed in a global network. The ‘Mycelium Initiative Centres’ allowed the public to access tools and information to support the creation of their own climate projects.

Solveig Marie Siem and Håkon Wille present their work on day 2 of T2051MCC. On this day it is assumed that global heating has remained below 1.5°C.

Solveig Marie Siem (1992) is a museologist with an MA in Museology and Cultural Heritage Studies from the University of Oslo. She has a BA in History and Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley and a Postbaccalaureate certificate in Psychology from UC Irvine. Solveig wrote her master’s on a series of co-creation workshops she facilitated herself at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology in preparation for their Klima2+ exhibition. In the spring of 2020, she also worked as a research assistant for the Anthropogenic Soils Collaboratory in the newly established Oslo School of Environmental Humanities. She is passionate about utilizing museological methods to tackle issues related to ecological disaster, social inequality, and mental health. The concept of the Mycelium Initiative was heavily inspired by a similar idea she developed with another project team for the Reimagining Museums for Climate Action international competition. She aims to continue fostering a post-disciplinary approach in all her future endeavors connected to museums, academia, and the public sector.

Solveig currently works as a full-time research assistant at the Department of Education at the University of Oslo. She is assisting several projects with research on the history of the national and international use of intelligence testing as a pedagogical and diagnostic tool.

A Reimagining Museums for Climate Action Partner