Welcome to a city walk in Trondheim where we will explore the lichens of the city. The city walk is part of a artwork by visual artist Arendse Krabbe currently taking part in the group exhibition A New We at Kunsthall Trondheim.
We will get to know the flora of the city, learn about the life of lichens and its characteristics.Tommy Prestø, who is a lichen specialist, will show us the lichens of the city and tell us about them. Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic association of fungi, algae and bacteria. More than 20.000 different species exists across the planet. On the city walk we will see some of the 600 species living in Trondheim.
Since lichen feed on water and nutrient-rich minerals from the rain, mist and dust they are particularly sensitive to pollution. By observing lichens in Trondheim we can get information about the level of pollution in the city.
Tommy Prestø is affiliated to NTNU Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, Department of Natural History, where he works with the university herbarium. He works with lichens in forests and mountains in Norway especially in old pinewoods.
If it rains on Saturday, September 16, we will experience that lichens are especially beautiful in humid weather conditions. The city walk starts from Kunsthall Trondheim.