Study
The first harvest is here, with a beautiful big oyster mushroom!
I spent some time today gathering some inspiration at the Brooklyn Museum's Gaultier exhibit. I was particularly paying attention to pieces that were constructed out of rigid materials, as the mycelium will grow fairly rigid once it dries. The corset piece below is interesting to me as a rigid suggestion of garment, which could be layered over something with movement. The dress on the right is made of a patchwork of semi-rigid sections that are given flexibility through the stitching that holds them together. This is something I could explore with hemp rope, or other biodegradable materials.
|
Patterns and mannequins
My Oyster mushrooms are sky rocketing along, and I already have some lovely clusters of mushrooms popping out! Once this batch has finished fruiting, I plan on experimenting with breaking up the mycelium left behind in the growing bag. The clusters seem particularly strong on the side of the bag facing the wall, so for future batches I may block off more light.
I also picked up several yards of burlap and decided to experiment with cutting some pattern pieces for a princess seamed top. burlap is a material that will also completely biodegrade in a garden, so if I yield good results, it's an option to use as a bottom layer for my dress. I also made a brief experiment with some dried kombucha culture. This was a this culture (about 1/16") and over the course of a day it dried to a strong, paper thin film. an added bonus! It perfectly retained the raised images it dried over! I think this has potential for some decorative flourishes, or a headpiece. I picked up some fresh cultures at Kombucha Brooklyn and I'm looking forward to further experimentation!
|
I was also thinking about how I would want to present my dress and decided that I would love to have a mannequin that is modeled off my body. This is a personal piece, and one that is going to be grown to my body, so by having a custom mannequin, I'll have a display that perfectly fits my dress, and represents me as I am, not an 'ideal' version of myself. I decided to experiment with casting my foot. I often stand on my toes, and really liked the idea that my mannequin would be doing the same thing.
I cast the negative of the mold using dental alginate. It cures very quickly, and is made from algae, making it a less toxic option for mold making. Also because it dries so quickly, you can achieve fairly dynamic poses. I used a two part resin to cast the foot, and had some difficulties with air bubbles. I would probably want the final version to be made of a more natural material - potentially pulp paper casting- but I was very happy with the level of detail and personality that I was able to get in this first attempt. |
Starting to grow + dressform
This week I started to get my hands dirty. I received my first kit of inoculated straw from Fungi Perfecti which should sprout oyster mushrooms in the next couple of weeks. Just over the course of 3 days the amount of mycelium growth is pretty fantastic.
I also made a body form to facilitate making some of the molds for the future dress. The form is made from adhesive backed packaging tape and an old t-shirt. This is a quick and easy way to make a personalized dress form, however the dimensions were not as exact as I would like them. I plan on trying a plaster cast in the future.
|