{"id":22379,"date":"2024-04-18T13:23:32","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T11:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/croatian-photography.com\/?p=22379"},"modified":"2024-04-18T17:29:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T15:29:13","slug":"the-exhibition-of-the-shapelab-collective-mushrooms-and-architecture-digital-fabrication-of-sustainable-materials-24-april-2-may-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/croatian-photography.com\/en\/the-exhibition-of-the-shapelab-collective-mushrooms-and-architecture-digital-fabrication-of-sustainable-materials-24-april-2-may-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"The exhibition of the ShapeLab collective: \u201cMushrooms and Architecture \u2013 Digital Fabrication of Sustainable Materials\u201d, 24 April \u2013 2 May 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Office for Photography, the VN Gallery, and Austrian cultural forum invite you to the opening of the exhibition Mushrooms and Architecture \u2013 Digital Fabrication of Sustainable Materials <\/b><\/em>by the ShapeLab<\/em> collective, which will be held on\u00a0Wednesday, 24 April 2024<\/strong>, at\u00a07:00 p.m <\/strong>at VN Gallery (Ilica 163a).\u00a0 The exhibition will remain open until Thursday, 3rd May 2024.<\/p>\n

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Over the last ten years, there has been a noticeable increase in interest in the use of mushroom mycelia as a sustainable building material. Mycotecture is a new discipline bringing together mycology \u2013 a branch of biology dedicated to the study of fungi \u2013 and architecture. Techniques employing sustainable building materials are gradually replacing traditional construction using concrete and steel, while mushroom mycelia as an environmentally acceptable alternative, is exhibiting numerous advantages in application. It is a biodegradable and renewable material demonstrating excellent insulating properties and a high degree of cost-effectiveness, as well as offering opportunities for unique and innovative design.<\/span><\/p>\n

The passion for mushrooms, yet not in the gastronomic sense, has brought together the members of the <\/span>ShapeLab<\/span><\/i> collective, doctoral students at the Institute f\u00fcr Architektur und Medien (TU Graz) who have been researching biologically sustainable materials and their digital fabrication for application in architecture for years. Using the natural properties of mushroom mycelia and 3D printing technology, this group of experts is exploring the various possibilities for creating environmentally sustainable structures. Thus, using 3D printing, they create clay structures on which they then deposit mycelia from mushrooms, which hardens the substance producing brick-like building material that can be used in construction. But what does such a process, invisible to the naked eye, actually look like? And how do they apply the mediums of photography and video in their work?<\/span><\/p>\n

The process of implementing mycelia in architecture involves growing them in a controlled environment using agricultural waste products such as sawdust, straw or corn husks as substrate. Over time, the mycelia parasitise the clay structure creating a dense network of fibres, resulting in an extremely durable and resistant material \u2013 mycelium-based composites. Once the mycelium composite has fully hardened, it is suitable for use in architecture as a sustainable building material. Biodegradable materials created by the implementation of mushroom mycelia exhibit excellent thermal and acoustic properties and a high degree of fire resistance. The <\/span>ShapeLab<\/span><\/i> collective\u2019s research includes extensive testing, and in this context, photography and time-lapse videos play a key role given their ability to visually record various biological processes. This is how photographs depicting detailed samples of mycelia are created, providing valuable information about the structure, behaviour and characteristics of mushrooms as living organisms. On the other hand, time-lapse videos offer opportunities to study and monitor the slow and seemingly imperceptible changes, such as mycelial growth and movement.<\/span><\/p>\n

The exhibition \u201cFungi and Architecture \u2013 Digital Fabrication of Sustainable Materials\u201d includes twelve photographs featuring visual representations of fungal mycelia necessary for the analysis and understanding of these complex biological processes. With the development of technology, the medium of photography allows the creation of visually attractive enlargements that resemble microscopic representations. In addition, the photographs also depict structures obtained by the implementation of mushroom mycelia, which can be used as bio-sustainable building materials. <\/span>In addition to photographs, the exhibition also includes a time-lapse video created by carefully recording the slow growth of mushroom mycelium. In the condensed-time video, we are able to observe more clearly the changes invisible to the naked eye, which allows the researchers to more easily visualise the processes that occur in real time. In the case of <\/span>ShapeLab<\/span><\/i> collective\u2019s research project, photography serves as an auxiliary tool for visually documenting and analysing the behaviour of mushroom mycelia, at the same time helping us to better understand natural processes and at least strive to live according to the principles of sustainable development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tena Star\u010devi\u0107<\/span><\/p>\n

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ShapeLab <\/i><\/b>is a research group from the Institute of Architecture and Media of the Graz University of Technology, founded in 2020, which conducts interdisciplinary research in the field of experimental architecture. In their work, they use elements of materials science, microbiology, geoscience and other related fields, and plan to carry out their research activities until the end of the programme\u2019s funding in 2028. The group consists of three PhD students \u2013 Hana Va\u0161atko, Lukas Gosch and Julian Jauk, under the mentorship of Milena Stavric.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>MyCera<\/i><\/b> project, whose name is a portmanteau of the words mycelium and ceramic, explores a composite material that grows and consists of mycelium, agricultural waste and clay. The interdisciplinary nature of this research in the field of experimental architecture is linked to other fields such as mycology and geology. Given the large carbon footprint of the construction industry, the main goal of the project \u2013 the development of carbon-neutral construction materials \u2013 offers an excellent solution to the crucial need for sustainable alternatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Neighbourhood Lens<\/strong> <\/span><\/i>puts the Zagreb neighbourhood of \u010crnomerec at the centre of interest, while the goal of this multidisciplinary project is to observe and shape the contents of the city, have a positive effect on the meaning of historical, emotional and other preserved images, in order to foster a constructive change of attitudes towards the space that surrounds us. The programme is focused on the medium of photography, which has, thanks to the development of technology, become more accessible, easy for everyone to use (especially mobile phone cameras), and largely understandable, yet, on the other hand, it is also very individual, since everyone takes photos differently. This encourages an understanding and appreciation of differences in the approaches and interpretations of a topic. The selection of programming activities pays special attention to the public space of the neighbourhood in order to raise awareness of its history, but also to foster new ideas for building in the future and to contextualise \u010crnomerec within the wider city fabric.<\/span><\/p>\n

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IMPRESSUM:<\/b><\/p>\n

Project: The Neighbourhood Lens\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Authors: <\/span>ShapeLab<\/span><\/i> collective<\/span><\/p>\n

Curatorial concept and foreword: Tena Star\u010devi\u0107<\/span><\/p>\n

Conceptual creator of the <\/span>Neighbourhood Lens<\/span><\/i> project: Sandra Kri\u017ei\u0107 Roban<\/span><\/p>\n

Coordinator of the VN Gallery: Olga Majcen Linn<\/span><\/p>\n

Technical realisation of the setup: Jasna Givens<\/span><\/p>\n

Translation: Andrea Ro\u017ei\u0107<\/p>\n

Design: Ruta<\/span><\/p>\n

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The exhibition is part of the programming activities of the Neighbourhood Lens<\/i> project, which is co-financed by the City of Zagreb as part of the Culture and Art in the Community programme. The exhibition is financially supported by the Austrian Cultural Forum.<\/strong><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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