‘Pottery’ made of mycelium

In collaboration with Bio Lab Seoul, South Korean design studio Craft Combine designed a collection of containers made of mycelium. In this project, the morphological motif is a pottery that has made rapid progress in the life of prehistoric humans.

Mycelium consists of the spore system of mushrooms, which forms a whitish material as it grows. Once the growing process is finished, the material is dried so that the spores die and a polystyrene-like material is left. After use, the material is fully biodegradable.

For their wares, Craft Combine used 3D printed moulds, in which the mycelium was mixed with strew and other agricultural by-products. The mycelium grows in the shape of the mould to create the Mycelium Ware. Each object has different shapes and textures, resembling handmade pottery. In particular, the pattern of comb-pattern pottery was applied to mycelium ware to reveal the pottery representing the Neolithic Age of the Korean Peninsula.

Photos: Park Yoon