Mycelium Materials

What It Is

Mycelium is the vegetative body of fungi — a network of thread-like hyphae that grow through substrate, breaking down organic matter and bonding particles together through secreted enzymes and physical interlocking. When cultivated under controlled conditions on a defined substrate and killed (by heating) at the right moment, it produces a rigid, lightweight composite material.

Unlike most biomaterials which mimic synthetic plastics, mycelium composite is inherently three-dimensional and can be grown directly in moulds of any shape.

Key Species

From The Material Way 2025 workshop notes:

• Ganoderma lucidum (영지버섯): Dense, hard mycelium composite. White surface. Very strong. Good for structural applications.
• Pleurotus ostreatus (느타리버섯 / Oyster mushroom): Faster-growing, softer composite. Better for packaging foam applications.
• Huitlacoche / Corn smut (옥수수 깜부기병): The fungal parasite of corn (Ustilago maydis). Used in Mexican cuisine as a delicacy. Also a natural dye source — gives grey-black-blue tones on corn leaves and husks. Natural dye on corn leaves (hojas) with palo campeche.

Growing Process

1. Substrate preparation: Agricultural waste — hemp hurds, corn stalks, wood chips, cotton hulls — pasteurized to kill competing organisms.
2. Inoculation: Mix fungal spawn (mycelium pre-grown on grain) into the substrate.
3. Growth: Pack into mould, cover, and incubate at appropriate temperature (typically 22–27°C for Pleurotus, cooler for Ganoderma). Allow 5–14 days for full colonization.
4. Killing: Heat to 70°C+ to kill the mycelium, stopping growth and stabilizing the material.
5. Drying: Remove moisture for a lighter, more stable final product.

Material Properties

• Density: very low (comparable to expanded polystyrene)
• Compressive strength: significant for a biomaterial, but lower than conventional foams
• Fire resistance: naturally self-extinguishing in some species
• Acoustic: high sound absorption coefficient — relevant for acoustic panel applications
• Fully compostable: decomposes in soil in weeks

Artists & Companies

• Ecovative Design (New York): First major commercial producer of mycelium packaging composites. Founded the open-source mycelium material movement.
• Bolt Threads (San Francisco): Mycelium leather ("Mylo") — used by Stella McCartney, Adidas, lululemon.
• Neri Oxman (MIT Media Lab): Mycelium and biological materials in architectural and sculptural applications.

Jay's Studio Note

Mycelium materials were introduced in The Material Way 2025 through the lens of the mushroom as paradigm case: Anna Tsing's The Mushroom at the End of the World treats the matsutake as a model for understanding how life organizes under precarious conditions. The mycelium network — always growing, always breaking down, binding what it touches — is already a model for the kind of practice Material Memory Studio is building: accumulative, relational, never fully finished.

Related Materials

Agar Bioplastic · Botanical Embedding · Situated Knowledge · Arts as Ecology