Healing with Fungi: Unique Aesthetic Expressions for Mycelium-Based Materials Through Patch and Mend

Abstract

Fungi is a highly attractive organism for biodesign with the potential of converting agro-industrial waste into novel materials, suitable for diverse applications from acoustic panels to packaging, from textiles to building material. This paper presents an explorative study that taps into a relatively unexplored potential of fungi in biodesign, namely, "to heal" living and non-living mycelium-based materials. When still alive, the fungus can fill in the material substrate with a network of thread-like roots called mycelium. By revisiting the concept of the patch and mend, we can repair and reappropriate mycelium-based materials and extend their lifetime. By leveraging the livingness of fungi, our material-driven explorations demonstrate unique aesthetic expressions in the healed mycelium-based samples toward the revival of daily repair practices.