Artist grows fungi into lamp shades

London-based designer Nir Meiri selects materials for his creations that most would not consider. Recently, the Nir Meiri Design Studio presented Mycelium Lights at the London Design Festival 2018. According to designboom.com, this is its latest project—the result of ongoing material research in mycelium, the vegetative part of the fungus, which has led to the design of the lamp collection.

Founded in 2010, the design studio carefully selects materials, which are often raw and wild, and shapes them into forms that can function as everyday products. The studio’s website lauds mushrooms or fungi as “truly wondrous organisms with significant untapped potential.” The mycelium grows by consuming organic and synthetic waste and can be shaped as desired. Different types of water can also alter its properties, the studio says.

To create the collection, the designer inserted the mycelium inside a mold to grow. Once it reached the desired form, the mycelium is used as the lampshade assembled into a metal base, glowing back as soft as natural light.

The project is a collaboration between the studio and BIOHM, a London-based startup working on developing sustainable solutions for the built environment. Together, they want to find solutions to rid the planet of synthetic waste.