Local design firm Fefostudio and architect Kamilla Csegzi have created a large table made from mycelium inset with openings for custom glassware for the Collectible design fair in New York.
Called The Ephemeral Table, the piece consisted of a mixture of 50 per cent mycelium substrate with a mixture of other organic waste, including paper and leaves.
The presentation at Collectible was the second part of a series, called Acts. The first was a studio dinner during NYCxDesign in May, the second the Collectible presentation and the third will be an outdoor dinner.
“Using mycelium, the project is a collaboration with nature, questioning the perceived value attached to the material culture that is ephemeral, but that is in a permanent change, and in that way, in a timeless process of transformation,” Fefostudio founder Fernando “Fefo” Aciar told Dezeen.
“Just as everything in the natural world evolves and transforms over time, the creation is fleeting, demonstrating the positive change from decay to growth,” he added.
“By giving up part of the creative control, allowing nature to shape the design, the mycelium table is an evolving living entity that facilitates three ACTs of gathering.”
The table was moulded using objects found around the studio, and then the voids in the table were used to create moulds to form the amber-coloured glassware seen in the presentation.
Fefostudio and Csegzi wanted to create a “dialogue” between the materials and the circular production of the design.
“Throughout the process, the mycelium table itself would become the mold for new objects, establishing a playful dialogue between ‘positive and ‘negative’, ‘content’ and ‘container’, ‘natural’ and ‘artificial’,” Aciar said.
“By interchanging these roles, the installation emphasizes the perpetual circularity of our process.”
Aciar also noted that he intends to leave the table wherever the final dinner is staged.
“Act III is the time when the project comes full circle, bringing the piece back to nature and letting it disintegrate,” he concluded.
“As it becomes one with the ground, it will grow new plants that will facilitate other forms of future gatherings.”
In the last decade, mycelium has seen an increase in use as designers figure out how to work with the material. Objects such as bicycle helmets, lampshades, and even sets for concerts have been created from it.
Photography by Simon Leung unless otherwise stated.
Collectible is open from 5 to 8 September at Water Street Project in Manhattan. For more events, talks and fairs in architecture and design please visit Dezeen Events Guide.
