Living Mycelium Dunes

Yume Yume commits to creating a healthier environment through lower-impact products with an ongoing journey of exploring alternative materials. Together with MycoWorks, YUME YUME introduces the world’s first head-to-toe outfit entirely grown from Reishi, a revolutionary leather-alternative biomaterial made from Fine Mycelium, alongside a living and growing mycelium installation developed by TEAL.

Yume Yume needed a large-scale installation to accompany their mycelium leather outfit at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. We proposed a living mycelium floor, bringing together both of our practices: Mycelium Material grew the material, TEAL designed the floor and managed the installation. The mycelium was grown in one week at Mycelium Material's production facility, then transported to the museum in containers. On site, we laid it out across the floor in the exhibition space, where it continued growing for another week before the opening. Getting living fungal material into a museum was a challenge. The museum was concerned about spores spreading to other parts of the building. Once those concerns were addressed, the floor was installed and maintained daily for two months. Every day, someone from the team came in to care for the mycelium surface. The mycelium kept forming small mushrooms and responding to the visitors and the environment throughout the show. This project sits at the intersection of biological material, design, and museum installation. It required a team that could grow the material, design the form, install it in a sensitive environment, and keep it alive.