Mycelium[In] Workshop

The second workshop of the ARUP x Urban Atölye mycelium research project, [Mycelium In], took place on February 15, 2022 at Postane Istanbul. Unlike the first workshop held in an academic setting, this event was designed for a broad public audience and drew fifteen participants from a range of backgrounds including design, architecture, engineering and the arts, alongside observers and invited commentators. The workshop opened with a one-hour panel session streamed live, featuring presentations on bio-engineering, the biological properties of mycelium and student biomaterial work from Istanbul Kent University, as well as an online Q&A with a specialist in mycelium and mushroom production.

Following the panel, participants moved into a hands-on session in which they selected their mushroom type and substrates, prepared their casts and initiated their own cultivation experiments. Each participant produced two samples: one to keep at home and observe under their own environmental conditions, and one submitted to Urban Atölye for controlled monitoring. This setup allowed the research to directly compare the effect of varying domestic environments on growth outcomes. The workshop concluded with the introduction of the Collectivity Game, a card-based scenario tool developed by Urban Atölye to map the possible actors, places, institutions and products involved in community-scale mycelium production.

The session revealed a natural spectrum of engagement among participants, which the research team defined as three distinct profiles: Beginners, who engaged with the material primarily as an experience; Makers, who saw it as a medium for producing objects; and Experts, oriented toward research and methodology. The workshop demonstrated both the accessibility of mycelium cultivation to a general public and the importance of networks that connect different levels of expertise. The work carried out at [Mycelium In] was central to the research findings later published in Design Unlimited magazine.