Mycotecture: Building Seeds of the Pluriverse

About Facilitator

Mae-ling Lokko is an architectural scientist, designer and educator working on the design and development of agrowaste building materials towards generative justice goals. As an Assistant Professor at Yale University’s School of Architecture and Yale’s Center for Ecosystems in Architecture (Yale CEA), Lokko leads research on the design of building materials as part of broader agricultural and textile cycles towards the long-term goal of soil health.

Objective

What might you protect in a ceremonial vessel grown with Earth materials? This “Grow-it-Yourself” workshop invites residents of Crown Heights to participate and learn about mycelium building materials and seeds of local flora that will be embedded into a vessel grown with plant waste material and mycellium. The shape of these mycomodules is inspired by the clay Lobi pots of West Africa — ceremonial containers used both in temples and homes for storing spiritual objects.

The inoculated mushroom material will be prepared by the Yale School of Architecture student team and will be ready for filling in the tools. Samples of the material at different stages of growth will be presented as well to give workshop participants an overview of the process and to get a hands-on feel for the material. After participants are done filling tools they will be given instructions for how to handle parts and properly observe growth at home, along with how to handle material when it comes time to dry it out in their homes. The workshop will prioritize the participation of Crown Heights youth, emerging designers, urban farmers and elderly interested members of the community. 

What's Included

• Crown Heights Seed Library introduction
• Molds for mycomodule
• Mycellium for innoculation
• Harvesting Instructions
• Grow-it-Yourself Instructions

What to Bring

• Hat (optional)
• Water Bottle (optional)
• Notebook and Pen

Requirements

Wheelchair accessible. This workshop will be conducted outside in a garden setting. Both seated and standing options available for participants.