Experiment 41922
Oyster Mushrooms/Pleurotus SPP.
Oyster mushrooms are beloved around the world for their delicate texture and mild, savory flavor. They typically grow with broad, thin, oyster- or fan-shaped caps in shades of white, gray, or tan, with gills running along the underside. Their edges can be frilled and delicate, and they may appear either individually as larger mushrooms or in dense clusters of smaller fruiting bodies. Oyster mushrooms are classified as wood-decay fungi because they digest moist wood. As white-rot fungi, they break down lignin, one of the primary structural components of wood, playing an important role in the decomposition of dying and fallen trees. This first experiment is an exploration of shape and the formation of a “flush”—the collective emergence of mushrooms during fruiting. By experimenting with different grow chambers, jars, and containers holding the mycelium, I can begin to observe how environmental conditions such as temperature and relative humidity influence growth and form.
One material I am experimenting with is perlite, a bright white, porous volcanic glass that resembles small pieces of white gravel. It is an extremely lightweight mineral containing millions of microscopic pores. When dampened, these pores hold and release moisture into the surrounding air, creating a humid environment. Because mushrooms require high humidity during fruiting, perlite can be used to help maintain these conditions. Its ability to absorb and gradually release moisture also makes it useful for terrarium humidification, where it helps “wick” moisture into the air. Through these variations in containers, materials, and environmental conditions, the experiment becomes a way of observing not only how the mushrooms grow, but how their collective forms emerge in response to their surroundings.
Oyster Mushrooms
Day 1
Round body
Day 1
Broken substrate
Day 1
Terrarium in tact:
Day 2
Round body
Day 2
Broken substrate
Day 2
Terrarium in tact:
Day 3
Round body
Day 3
Broken substrate
Day 3
Terrarium in tact:
Day 4
Round body
Day 4
Broken substrate
Day 4
Terrarium in tact:
Day 5
Round body
Day 5
Broken substrate
Day 5
Terrarium in tact:
Day 6
Round body
Day 6
Broken substrate
Day 6
Terrarium in tact:
Day 7
Round body
Day 7
Broken substrate
Day 7
Terrarium in tact:
Day 8
Round body
Day 8
Broken substrate
Day 8
Terrarium in tact:
These mushrooms were grown to be a part of a larger public arts project. The image below shows you how they will be used in the The Gate Project. Details: In The Living Room Laboratory.
What I observed in this image was incredibly exciting. These experiments were among the final studies leading up to the Gatekeepers project in 2023. At the same time that I was conducting these experiments, I was continuously growing and developing the structure in my lab. The experiments were therefore not separate from the project; they were actively informing its development. One of the oyster mushrooms shown here became particularly significant. After fruiting, the small mushroom was dried and left for approximately six months before I reintroduced it to the living mycelium substrate of the Gatekeepers structure.
What happened next was unexpected. The dehydrated mushroom appeared to awaken after being introduced back into the active mycelium. It began to grow again, attaching itself to the side of the mycelium brick as though it were reaching back into the living structure—almost like a small mushroom arm embracing the substrate.
I was astonished to see this response. The experiment suggested that the material was capable of much more than simply repairing itself. The reintroduction of a previously dried fruiting body appeared to influence and activate growth within an entirely different section of the living substrate, resulting in new growth and the re-emergence of a fruiting body within the structure.
This moment became an important observation in the development of Gatekeepers. It shifted my understanding of the material from something that could simply grow and self-heal into something capable of responding, reconnecting, and continuing its growth across different stages of its life.
My note: The image on the left is a mycelium substrate that was unseeded, made from hemp and agricultural waste. The image on the right is actual mycelium that was fruiting oyster mushrooms. The idea that the substrate which could be seen as a relative of the actual mycelium and a fruiting body, welcomed both mycelium and fruiting body back into its complex. How amazing!
This is cooperation on an entirely different level.