©2024 Alyssa Merlini



OB003 → Symbiocenic Game of Fungi

Symbiocenic Game of Fungi (2024)Balancing two fungal species with similar substrate preferences yet differing growth rates presents a unique challenge: how to harmonize their coexistence so that neither overtakes the other, allowing both to thrive within the same space? 

This speculative piece explores how fungi might be shaped into everyday objects, challenging our perception of bio-materials. It questions mycelium’s capacity to form functional, beautiful, and familiar items. By inviting people to play with, interact with, and appreciate myco-based objects, with this project I aim to counter skepticism and foster a deeper connection within humans and bio-materials. 

As the work evolves, it invites reflection on the balance between structure and fragility, permanence and transience, within both the material and the object itself. 

In this process, I am not the designer; the mushrooms are. My role is to listen, adapt, and provide what they require, trusting that the outcome will reveal itself in its own time.
Speculative visualization of Symbiocenic Game of Fungi, December 2024


Mycelium experiments in two-part molds



Pycnoporus Sanguineus - 18 days after inoculation and incubation
Mycelium Pawn, Pycnoporus Sanguineus
Pycnoporus Sanguineus on plate
Ganoderma Reishi on plate
G. Reishi under the microscope
P. Sanguineus under the microscope - X days incubated



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