Beyond the Lab – Bio-Inclusive Design with Mycelium
Domaine de Boisbuchet, July 10th – July 16th
The Workshop
Often invisible to the naked eye yet omnipresent and essential for life on earth, mycelium is the reproductive part of fungi. For a long time under-attended in science and previously treated as a part of botany, mycology – the study of fungi – is now an acknowledged branch of biology.
For some years mycelium has been used in the design field to assist in the fabrication of new bio-circular materials (myco-fabrication), a process which we look to explore and expand upon.
In this workshop, we will bring mycelium outside of the sterile myco-fabrication lab to let it grow in its natural environment. This allows us to harness the potential of its regenerative capacities and develop more locally attuned and bio-inclusive processes that share control and benefits with the organism.
Bio-inclusivity means conceiving nature as a partner. Taking as a reference the environmental philosopher Freya Mathews, we identify the main cause of the ecological crisis in the incapacity of considering humans and nature as one, a binary distinction that has led to paths either of exploitation (human-centric) or romanticization (biocentric) of nature. Aiming to overcome these approaches, we intend to engage with nature as equal, ultimately revealing that our own needs are deeply intertwined with the other-than-human.
Participants will first engage in physical interaction with the land, beginning with a holistic exploration of Boisbuchet’s locality, identifying and understanding the role of local fungi. We will then conduct experiments with mycelium and local substrates, seeking to think “beyond the mold” in order to consider a more reciprocal collaboration with the organism. By the end of this immersive week of wild collective experimentation, conversations and foraging, participants will have had the chance to grow and harvest either a collective piece or a design of their own.
Let’s reconnect with our wild selves and imagine new ways to repair human-disturbed environments.
