Dutch designer Eric Klarenbeek created a seat using fungi, straw and 3D printing technology. The Mycelium Chair is a sculptural furniture fused with durable material combining futuristic technology with biological processes. The chair is on display during Dutch Design Week.
Klarenbeek collaborated with the University of Aachen in order to find a way to 3D-print living material.
Mycelium is the thread-like network found in fungus, which was mixed with straw and water and put inside the printer. When printed, the living fungi continued to grow, replacing the water, to create a solid material.
According to Klarenbeek the chair represents a concept rather than a functional piece, promoting the 3D printing technique potential.
He is planning to take this project further, creating more furniture or a whole interior of a house. He claims scientists could create buildings out of it.
Klarenbeek dried out the chair and covered it with a thin layer of bioplastic allowing mushrooms to grow out of the chair, as a design element.
