Materials research

We are starting The Fungus Among Us, a 7 week course at ITP.
One of my goals is to build a materials library to test

– species differences
– color (in the substrate, after the material has grown)
– sealants
– pliability
– thinness
– carvability

using
– natural dyes,
– varnishes,
– fibers,
– beeswax

growing in burlap – shaped

  • smeared onto burlap (blended first w/substrate)
  • impregnate burlap with just the grain spawn

use bamboo skewers to create armatures

A slurry in a 3D printer nozzle

What other alkaline substrates are useful besides coffee chaff and oat straw?
How thin can the material be?
How flexible?
What organic materials can be introduced into the substrate that extend its elasticity, density, porosity?

Can you grow more mycelium on “dead” (baked) inoculated substrate? This would allow you to repair or add new parts later

Are there protocols for this kind of r + d?