Mycelium – Nothing really matters
July 23rd – July 29th 2023
The workshop
Mycelium, the filamentous structure of fungi, digests dead organic matter into soil and regenerates life. It is earth's decomposer and a great reminder that everything is transient and nothing is meant to last.
While many designers take longevity and durability as indicators of sustainability, we are asking: what materiality would look like if we accepted and reconciled with our own impermanence?
When working with mycelium, our aim is to assist in its whole life cycle while engaging at different stages of growth and decay. In our workshop, we’ll thus embrace the temporalities of mycelium and uncover opportunities for ephemeral designs.
Participants will practice Aléa’s unique method of bypassing the typical sterile conditions by growing objects in the soil. We’ll work together towards a collective piece on the Domaine’s site - grown, harvested and installed for a shared experience by the end of the week.
At the same time, our workshop kicks off an experimental laboratory that explores reciprocal bio-fabrication in a long term collaboration between Aléa and Domaine de Boisbuchet.