Discussion Questions
These questions were conducted for our team to reflect on and answer in order
to extend the reader’s understanding of our progress and motivations on this project.
The answers below are curations of the team’s individual responses.
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Q: What were the team’s initial expectations and reaction to mycelium as a material?
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A: Prior to starting this project, most of us had not heard of mycelium. We were intimidated by its lack of predictability and whether or not the mycelium could be kept alive since our entire project was dependent on it. Ultimately however, after much research, we realized the versatility of mycelium, and were all undeniably excited and thrilled to work with it as a material for everyday objects.
Q: What kind of affordances does mycelium have and how did it motivate the team’s intrigue to work with the material?
A: Mycelium is a biobased and biodegradable material. Its sustainability is what our team was initially motivated by; however, we were truly inspired by the physical properties that make it ideal for everyday products. It’s lightweight [47], strong [13], durable [13], thermally resistant [18], hydrophobic [11], and fire retardant [18]. Mycelium is also affordable, shapeable, and grows relatively quickly, which easily makes it an ideal material for DIY projects like our own.​
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Q: What were some key reasons as to using mycelium for the purposes of creating domestic/every-day things?
A: Since mycelium is a natural material that is sustainable, environmentally friendly, and cost efficient, it seemed like a no-brainer to try and utilize these properties to make something that anyone can have access to. We as a society could make a huge difference by simply exchanging the materials we see in everyday life like: Plastic, concrete, foam, and wood for more sustainable materials like mycelium. On top of that, the idea of making everyday objects in the comfort of one’s own home is exciting and evokes fun in practicing sustainability.
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Q: Were there obstacles that you faced during the project? How did the team overcome these, individually or together?
A: Mycelium, being a living material, requires a specific set of conditions to grow that include moisture and temperature. Working in the dry climate of Colorado meant that often the material would not grow. We also faced the obstacle of COVID-19. This initially impeded our project due to our lab space, where we were housing the mycelium, being shut down. In order to overcome these obstacles, we developed the speculation section, so that mycelium’s true versatility was not truncated and showcased what is really possible. We also made mini home labs, and continually checked up on each other’s progress via Slack and Zoom.
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Q: Looking back on the recipes, what are some insights the team has gained?
A: Given the fact that none of our team had any experience growing mycelium, we all had to learn (and fail) a lot to make successful products. One of our first challenges was deciding on a growth medium. We tried everything from coffee grounds to cardboard and finally decided to use a pre-sterilized mix of wood chips, hemp, and flour. We also struggled with finding a balance between under and over-sterilization, as many projects failed along the way due to mold contamination or non-viable mycelial tissue. However, all of this struggle gave us more resolve in creating our DIY recipe book--to help those who are inexperienced, like we initially were, create their own mycelium projects.
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Q: For speculative works, what were the most difficult aspects of creating speculations for mycelium recipes? The most fun?
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A: It was challenging to put ourselves in the shoes of someone who would be attempting our project recipes and to sequence instructions for them in such a way that was justified and clear enough to execute. Additionally, it was difficult to grasp the potential behaviours of the material at first. Yet, despite this challenge, we gleaned the most fun and motivation from thinking about all of the possibilities of mycelium once we did more research. Seeing that something similar had been successfully done before was not only encouraging but also helped guide us in the speculative process. Overall, because of this exploration, conceiving these recipes was more engaging than difficult in the end.
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Q: How do you take care of a mycelium product?​
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Because of mycelium's amazing properties (water and heat resistance, lightweight, durability, etc.), it can be applied to a number of different applications, as seen on our Projects page. However, when mycelium is repeatedly saturated with water it can lose its rigidity and becomes more susceptible to degradation [13]. To avoid this, we recommend finishing a mycelium product with a biobased sealant such as beeswax, milk paint, or water-based polyurethane [13]. Once this step is taken, we recommend cleaning a mycelium product with warm soapy water ​and leaving it to air dry. While we have created a number of dinnerware items from mycelium (see Mushrooms for Dinner(ware)), it is important to state that our products are NOT officially certified for direct food contact.
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Q: How long does mycelium take to biodegrade? How environmentally friendly is it really?
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A: In comparison to conventional plastics used in packaging like polystyrene, mycelium takes far, far less than hundreds of years to decompose [6]. To be more exact, our experience with a small sample of unmaintained mycelium shows that it could take around a couple of weeks to disappear. Depending on the size and density of the final mycelium product, it could start losing form and returning to the earth within a month or so. With higher microbial activity (as in compost or the like), the material will lose its form more quickly [18]. By combining compostable materials with reusable materials (see On (MyCo) Fashion and Mushroom Toy Blocks) we aim to reduce the amount of materials waste. Additionally, mycelium is a safe and inert material, which means that unlike conventional plastic processing, it does not release large amounts of CO2 (besides, of course, the CO2 that is released as a result of the biodegradation process) [47].
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Q: How has the team’s perspective changed on the medium? What was something unexpected? What was something that is now appreciated?
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A: Like anything in life, growing mycelium has a learning curve. However, what was unexpected was the struggle to find any documented failures in this fabrication process while our own explorations were far from straight-forward, leaving us with some discouragement. But once we learned what the mycelium liked to grow in, what conditions it thrives in, and sterilization protocols for living organisms, it was not that hard. This was especially exciting when we were able to find success in our endeavors, and we feel proud! Due to the unexpected challenges of COVID-19, our team looks back on our semester and appreciates the significant in-person time spent brainstorming and workshopping our ideas. This early planning facilitated the freedom for our teammates to express their passions from fashion to toy-making, while all unified under the single concept of: MyCo Domicilia, everyday objects made from mycelium for accessibility and sustainability.
