GMU:Design with Fungi

Credits: 4 SWS

Venue: DIY Biolab @ Marienstraße 7b, Room 204

Lecturer(s): Alessandro Volpato

The steadily growing population and the associated need for more building and manufacturing activities pose almost insurmountable challenges for architecture and the industry as a whole. The need for more sustainable alternatives pushed research towards possibly grown materials, e.g. materials composed of agro/forestry leftovers processed by microbes. Fungal composites is just one of many example, and could therefore offer a promising alternatives to resource intense construction and fabrication materials.

These fungal composites can be produced in the near future in a way that is both climate-friendly and cost-effective. In addition, they can be easily separated, fully composted and used as fertilizer after the end of their life, thus closing the loop and making of them a "circular material". Thus, the use of fungi could create a lightweight and fully circular building system.

In this course we will use artistic approaches to design with Fungi, understand their way of growing on natural matter, explore how they relate to other easily cultivable living beings, and create own art-work out of this experience.

In the end the artistic pieces will be exhibited at the Winterwerkschau.

Students / Projets

• Alessandro Volpato - Myco-Tetris
• Amy Zimber, Marleen Kölmel - HOW TO MAKE SLIME MOLD LAUGH
• Dania González Sanabria: The migrant's Cabinet.
• Elena Payer - mushroom and centipede-like creature / mushroom hand
• Gift Lalicha Lalitsasivimol - scoby
• Jenny Soggia - Accessorize Nature
• Fritzi Buhtz - Hyphen