A couple of weeks ago, We had the incredible opportunity to be hosted by the Kiewit Luminarium science museum in Omaha, Nebraska a vibrant space dedicated to sparking curiosity, creativity, and connection through science. I was invited to lead a talk and workshop about mycelium and biomimicry, the practice of learning from nature to inspire human innovation. Check out a few photos from the experience.

We tapped into how mycelium can be decentralized, adaptive, and can offer insights for how we design our systems, cities, and even our relationships. But we didn’t just talk about fungi we got hands on. As part of the workshop, participants sculpted mycelium in small cups, as I explained how we can utilize mycelium for everything every day things like replacing it for Styrofoam, packing materials, building materials and even food.

Personally we love using mycelium in our art projects. It’s a great way to repurpose the spend blocks we’ve already use to grow oysters mushrooms with. Speaking of which, oysters mushrooms are one of several mushroom species that produce strong versatile fibers, something that can be super useful in certain situations.

There are plenty of examples out in the world of fungi where mycelium is being used in ways that is shaping our future in a very eco driven way. It was a wonderful to imagine the many ways this living material could be used in art, architecture, design, and beyond.