About

About the symposium

The International Fungi & Fibre Symposium is an international meeting point for people interested in fungi, natural colour, craft, research and material culture. It brings together scientific knowledge, artistic practice and lived experience in a shared setting. The International Fungi & Fibre Symposium 2027 will be the twenty-first event in this international symposium series.

The tradition continues internationally through the International Fungi and Fibre Federation. A list of previous symposia can be found on the International Fungi and Fibre Federation website.

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The XXI International Fungi and Fibre Symposium

The XXI International Fungi and Fibre Symposium will take place in Latvia and is hosted by the Organising Committee under the auspices of the Latvian Mycological Society.

Founded in 2002, the Latvian Mycological Society is a public organisation that brings together researchers studying fungi and lichens, along with anyone interested in their diversity and applications, including arts, crafts and other creative practices. The Society promotes research, conservation and public engagement in the fields of mycology and lichenology.

Team

XXI Symposium Organising Committee

Diāna Meiere

Deputy Director for Development at the Latvian National Museum of Natural History; Chair of the Board of the Latvian Mycological Society

After graduating from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Latvia, she has held various positions at the Latvian National Museum of Natural History. She combines her professional work with a lasting fascination for fungi — their study and their many creative uses. At present she is building a collection of yarn samples dyed with fungi and lichens, experimenting with fungal papermaking, using fungal pigments for drawing, and pursuing other related practices. She is one of the founders of the Latvian Mycological Society and chairs its board.

Contact: iffslatvia@gmail.com

Andra Simanova

Researcher in ethnomycology and educator; board member of the Latvian Mycological Society

In her everyday work as an education specialist, she believes it is especially important to help children notice the diversity of living organisms around them and to understand its meaning, since an early relationship with nature often shapes a person's attitude for life. She therefore seeks to draw people of all ages towards the living organisms that share our surroundings but so often go unnoticed — fungi and lichens. Together with colleagues at the Latvian Mycological Society she has co-founded Sēņu grozu nesēji (Mushroom Basket Bearers), an educators' team that shares knowledge about fungi, lichens, their uses and foraging in Latvian schools and at Mushroom Days events.

Contact: iffslatvia@gmail.com

Evita Veinberga

Social anthropologist; board member of the Latvian Mycological Society

Fungi are all around us — it is enough to pause for a moment and take a closer look. Without fungi there would be no wine, no cheese and no bread, and life would look very different from the everyday we know. She talks about this, and much more, on the Radio NABA programme about fungi Micēlijs, as well as at the events of the Latvian Mycological Society.

Contact: iffslatvia@gmail.com