MYCORRHIZA REFERS TO A PARTICULAR TYPE OF SYMBIOTIC ASSOCIATION BETWEEN A FUNGUS AND A HIGHER PLANT, LOCATED WITHIN THE ROOT SYSTEM OF THE SYMBIONT PLANT, AND WHICH EXTENDS, BY MEANS OF HYPHAE OR MORE COMPLEX STRUCTURES SUCH AS RHIZOMORPHS, INTO THE RHIZOSPHERE AND THE SURROUNDING SOIL. AS MERLIN SHELDRAKE RECOUNTS, IN THE BOOK ENTANGLED LIFE: HOW FUNGI MAKE OUR WORLDS, CHANGE OUR MINDS & SHAPE OUR FUTURES, ABOUT 500 MILLION YEARS AGO “MYCORRHIZAL RELATIONSHIPS EVOLVED TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF A DESOLATE, WEATHERED WORLD AT THE DAWN OF LIFE ON EARTH.” "BY FORMING NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH FUNGI, THE ALGAE MANAGED TO REACH LAND. THESE EARLY ALLIANCES EVOLVED INTO WHAT WE CALL "MYCORRHIZAL RELATIONSHIPS." THE ORGANISMS WE CALL "PLANTS" ARE ACTUALLY FUNGI THAT EVOLVED TO RAISE ALGAE, AND ALGAE THAT EVOLVED TO RAISE FUNGI." “TODAY, MORE THAN NINETY PERCENT OF PLANT SPECIES DEPEND ON MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI.” “GLOBALLY, THE LENGTH OF MYCORRHIZAL HYPHAE IN THE TOP TEN CENTIMETERS OF SOIL IS APPROXIMATELY HALF THE WIDTH OF OUR GALAXY (4.5 X 1017 KILOMETERS OF HYPHAE VERSUS 9.5 X 1017 KILOMETERS OF SPACE). IF THE HYPHAE WERE STRETCHED AND FLATTENED, THEIR SURFACE WOULD COVER EVERY CENTIMETER OF THE EMERGED LAND OF OUR PLANET TWO AND A HALF TIMES. MYCORRHIZAL HYPHAE DIE AND REGROW SO RAPIDLY – BETWEEN TEN AND SIXTY TIMES A YEAR – THAT IN A MILLION YEARS THEIR OVERALL LENGTH WOULD EXCEED THE DIAMETER OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE (4.8 X 1010 LIGHT YEARS OF HYPHAE VERSUS 9, 1 X 109 LIGHT YEARS OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE)” “THESE ORGANISMS HAVE ALWAYS SURVIVED ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION AND THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND PERIODS OF CATASTROPHIC CHANGES – DURING WHICH, INDEED, THEY OFTEN FIND THEMSELVES THRIVING – IS ONE OF THEIR MAIN CHARACTERISTICS. MUSHROOMS ARE CREATIVE, FLEXIBLE AND COLLABORATIVE. NOW THAT MUCH OF EARTH'S LIFE IS THREATENED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES, COULD WE PARTNER WITH FUNGI AND ASK FOR THEIR HELP IN ADAPTING TO THESE NEW CONDITIONS?” FOLLOWING THE SUGGESTION OF THE QUESTION POSED BY MERLIN SHELDRAKE, THE IMAGES OF THE MICOCITY SERIES SHOW US THE MOMENT IN WHICH IN A FUTURE EVOLUTIONARY LINE OF OUR SPECIES A NEW SYMBIOTIC ALLIANCE BEGINS TO DEVELOP BETWEEN MAN AND GIGANTIC MYCORRHIZAL HYPHAE CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING AND NOURISHING A NEW URBAN ECOSYSTEM, IN WHICH BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ARE INTEGRATED INTO A LIVING SYSTEM THAT BREATHES, GROWS AND REGENERATES IN AN ATTEMPT TO COUNTERACT THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY AND CREATE A RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT.