I received Arts Council England (DYCP) funding in August 2021 to develop clones of wild, British fungi which was cultured to explore mycelium as a sculptural and textile material.
As the project developed I became increasingly interested in living fungi as fundamentally queer organisms which has led to a range of different projects examining their roles in the enviroment (Dirty Cultures) and their interaction with each other (CRYOphage) and other organisms. The following documents some of the research I've been doing and the organisms I'm working with.
Check out my Instagram for much more: @matthew.r.gale
Growth processes
Once mycelium has proliferated across the nutrient agar, it can be induced to grow through other substrates such as wood shaving. I am exploring a range of different means to grow mycelium, but broadly they are either sculptural or in sheets.
Photos document the growth stage of a cylindrical structure (white) and the same structure after it has been dried and preserved.
Much of my current research has been experimenting with creating sheets of mycelium, that could function as a form of textile. Once preserved, the fungal 'skin' has a leather-like appearance. The pigmentation, durability and the appearance of secondary structures is dependent on the species used.
Several images in this gallery show mycelium that has grown through materials such as fine mesh and a cotton T shirt, creating a hybrid textile.