MycoWorks x Heron Preston give the classic fruit bowl a mushroom makeover

The world of material innovation is experiencing an upsurge, with designers and biotechnology companies challenging conventional and environmentally damaging material choices. In this ever-growing crusade, mycelium is often found in the spotlight—an aspect of the planet that has been present for millions of years. From mycelium lamp designs and furniture design to bars, the boundless potential of mycelium has been harnessed by many to yield a range of products. Although instances of mushroom leather being employed in utilitarian design are rife, one may contemplate the role biomaterials play in the art universe. Can mycelium and other living materials be cultivated to grow and create art—and the NEXT in materials?

This artwork transports us back to the blissful days we spent in art classes. Artist, creative director, and designer Heron Preston debuts an art piece informed by and designed with MycoWorks’ innovative mycelium material, Reishi™—a sustainable animal leather substitute. Befittingly titled A Fruit Bowl by Heron Preston for MycoWorks, the creation will be available exclusively on a new digital platform by Heron Preston underlining his L.E.D. (Less Environmentally Destructive) concepts and how they can take shape in culturally relevant and relatable ways. The unparalleled, one-edition-only fruit bowl is the first of a series of product design collaborations between Preston and MycoWorks. “Given MycoWorks’ roots in art, this partnership with Heron Preston represents our company’s enduring values of thoughtful design and aesthetics, wide-ranging inspiration, and visionary imagination,” says Sophia Wang, MycoWorks co-founder and chief of culture.

San Francisco-based biotechnology company MycoWorks was an offshoot of co-founder Philip Ross’s efforts towards harnessing mycelium and other living materials to grow and create art and design. Having worked at the intersection of art, design and biotechnology for over three decades, Ross delved into the unfathomable capacities of mushrooms in both healthcare and art—infusing meticulousness and a naturalist’s astute eye into his ‘biotechniques’ which bring forth living works of art. In cahoots with Sophia Wang, his long-time artistic collaborator who is culturally fluent in the thriving structures of nature and the aesthetics of visual arts, dance and literature, Ross established MycoWorks. Since its inception, the initiative has already established ties with renowned names like Hermès and Nick Fouquet to experiment with its flagship material, Reishi™, to give fruition to new product designs. The flexible and durable material that mirrors the feel of animal leather is made entirely from the infinitely renewable root structure of mushrooms. “Over the last decade, MycoWorks has grown to over 160 employees and produces tens of thousands of sheets of material per year, but the values have and will always hold true,” shares Wang.

Tapping the American artist for their latest release, the company was set to expand their repertoire beyond accessories and fashion design, this time with art. Being the first of many upcoming artworks, the muse for the piece—also every artist’s favourite muse—was only imminent: a fruit bowl. Stemming from a collective appreciation for the sensory characteristics and vast design possibilities of mycelium and Reishi™, this classic household object is given a stark black leather makeover—a bold attribute that detaches it from its unassuming muse. “A fruit bowl is usually one of the first objects that painters depict to demonstrate their skills and understanding of the medium. And this is an exercise on how this material (Fine Mycelium), through my lens is getting its start – as a fruit bowl; a material with endless possibilities and applications, like a painting,” explains Preston. The fruit made using MycoWorks Fine Mycelium technology heralds new beginnings—a future untethered by the past and propelled forward by imagination and human ingenuity.

Spearheading a breakthrough in materials science and biotechnology, MycoWorks continues to develop, commercialise, and scale their patented technology to breed a new category of materials used in fashion, footwear design, automotive design, and decor industries. Their partnership with Preston is rooted in a shared passion for conscious design and sustainability. The market, particularly that of fashion, experiences a wave of recurring discourses surrounding sustainable design and circular economy. Amidst innumerable experiments falling short of sufficing commercial requisites, MycoWorks intervenes with rigorous research and inimitable innovations, concocting leather alternatives that arehard to fault. With a material the company claims has “endless possibilities,” what this collaboration brews NEXT certainly piques one’s curiosity; and a question, perhaps the most important of them all, looms in the air: will mycelium, akin to its incidental muse, be the next household staple?