a summer hibernation
a season of firsts
It has been many months since the studio has put its experiments into words, but the studio has been anything but still. Between fermenting dinners, sonic experiments, and mycelium sculptures, the first season of Earthly Futures Studio has been quietly blossoming.
Still, experiments bring a certain nervousness, particularly when considering publicising unfinished thoughts. Perhaps this is what Soil Songs could be; a place for both polished blossoms and unfurling ideas. In that spirit, here’s a look back at what our first season has brought to life, and what is coming next.
Mara Schwerdtfeger performing at Earthly Futures Studio, May 25, 2025. Image Courtesy of Daniel Pini
fermentCLUB
Our experimental dinner, fermentation workshop, and sonic supper club began with a gentle welcome. In mid-spring, draped in greens, we invited local Parisian designers, artists, ecologists, and curators. We ate curries, salads, and pandan pastries while ideas moved across the table, and hopefully, many future collaborations.
Soon after, the studio hosted Australian chef mynamechef (Ronen Jafari) on their summer European tour. Together with our founder, Victoria, Ronen created a five-course dinner celebrating French seasonal ingredients fused with his North-Iranian and North-Indian culinary roots. Twelve guests gathered around the table for an evening of summer light, candles, spice and laughter.
Tandoori grilled fish on a bed of beurre-blanc, with dill and nasturtiums by Ronen Jafari. Image courtesy of Daniel Pini
SOUND THINKING: Concert Series, Artist Talk and our first resident
In May, we hosted our first concert, a joyful night with Sydney-siders Mara and Rachel Schenberg on their European tour.
In a similar sonic realm, we welcomed the artistic-research collective Machine Listening (Dr Joel Stern, Dr James Parker, Sean Dockery) for a panel discussion and the launch of their album Environments 12.
June brought our first sound artist in residence, Niki Johnson, who worked with our mycelium object collection by sonifying the materials and activating them percussively.
Mycelium blooming over the summertime in the studio
But, that’s enough of a quick review of our first in-house season of fermenting, fungal-thinking and earthly-listening…
Now and next
After a busy first season, we chose an unusual rhythm, spending summer “sleeping” and in-hibernation mode so we could continue to cultivate. In our garden, tomatoes and mint have been notably generous. Inside the studio, we’ve been making the most of the Parisian heat and humidity to grow a new collection of large mycelium objects.
September (la rentrée) will mark the start of our next season. A quick glimpse:
Two open studios
An experimental sound concert
Specialty coffee cupping session
An autumn sonic dinner
A test kitchen with Ice cream tasting
An autumn sound walk and fungal forage
…and more to be announced. Be sure to keep an eye on our official calendar.
Work with us
If you’re a chef, food-maker, fermenter, or sound artist passing through Paris, we’d love to meet you. We’re in the midst of building our 2026 programming and are always looking for new collaborators. Send us an email at info@earthlyfutures.com