A fungus that spent a week inside a grow tent has taken over the MuseLab.
This isn’t the start of a science fiction novel, or an episode of “The Last of Us,” it’s “Party of One: Future Fungal Furniture.” The exhibit is the first publicly shared experiment of Britta Bielak’s research on the potential that mycelium, the root-like structure of a fungus, has as a regenerative and structural building material. Two interior design students, Joseph Byrer and Olivia Mansier, collaborated on the application of the project.
“We have not built a piece of furniture before and somehow I was able to rally these two wonderful students to sign up for this unknown territory, unchartered territory,” said Bielak, an assistant professor of interior design.
Bielak is one of the co-founders of okom wrks labs, PBC, a San Diego-based startup that developed a patent-pending mycelium-based biocomposite for use in building materials and the built environment.
“Our real hope is to generate a material that's regenerative,” Bielak said. “So kind of going beyond sustainable and actually thinking about, ‘Gosh, can we put a material in a building that doesn't do any harm and can be composted in your backyard at the end of its life?’”
Working with a living organism that is terminated at the end of the process can feel conflicting, and Bielak led the team in expressing their gratitude to the hard work of the mycelium. They would play music and offer words of encouragement every day to the mycelium to ensure its happiness as it grew.
As an exploration into the unknown, the process was not without its challenges. Just two days into growing, an infection began that threatened the mycelial welds where the separate parts of the stool connected.
“Not all fungi are good fungi,” Bielak said.
The team has a theory for how the visitor found its way into the grow tent.
“Maybe we were so supportive that’s why the other ones started,” Bielak suggested. “They wanted some support too.”
The mycelium stool is on display in the MuseLab until April 7 and all who are curious about the future of sustainability are invited to visit. Join us for a closing reception on Thursday, April 6, from 6-8 p.m. outside of the MuseLab. The event will feature a gallery talk with Bielak and her student collaborators to answer questions and find future fungi collaborators in the ֱ State community.