Professor Bambo Soyinka

NERC’s 60th Anniversary: A Poetic Call and Response 

On 1st June 2025, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) celebrated its 60th anniversary. To mark this milestone, NERC commissioned StoryArcs Director and Lead Author, Professor Bambo Soyinka, to respond creatively to the Council’s work, legacy and future. 

The commissioned work, Mycelium Code, is a poetic micro-form drama with an accompanying audiovisual recording. Written, directed and performed by Professor Soyinka, it imagines the Earth speaking to humanity through the eye of a storm. Positioning Story as a living archive - a dynamic system through which ecological crisis and breakdown can be explored and addressed - Mycelium Code contributes to urgent conversations about climate futures. 

At the heart of Professor Soyinka’s approach is the ‘call and response’ ethisl. The publication of Mycelium Code is an invitation to other writers to respond to the ideas within the piece. Sixty varied and vital responses will be gathered into an anthology, creating space for dialogue and storytelling around themes of nature, resilience and recovery. 

Mycelium Code embodies the StoryArcs mission to articulate the many applications and potentials of Story to address social and ecological issues. It is through storytelling that we share ideas, celebrate lived experience, and create the possibility of healing and cohesion. 

Credits: Written, directed & performed: Professor Bambo Soyinka (StoryArcs) • Text editing: Isabelle Thompson (StoryArcs) • Production coordination: Molly White and Matthew Smith (StoryArcs). Executive production (Joanna Nissel) • Post-production: Joseph Harrington (JH Film Production) 

An Impact Story in Motion - commissioned impact storytelling by StoryArcs.