Well, my Parson's class project has moved into Phase II, the actual implementation phase. My two mushroom spawn blocks arrived on Thursday the 11th, and I put everything into go mode today. One block is Peal Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus var. columbinus) spawned on a straw substrate, while the other is Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) spawned on a sawdust substrate.

I decided to let these two blocks fruit out at least through the first or second flush, at which point I will separate the blocks into chunks and add into a new substrate (cardboard, burlap and coffee rounds) to insert into my burlap goddess sculpture, as well as at least one other sculpture which I have not decided on yet. Perhaps another burlap sculpture for consistency and ease? We'll see. I'm pasting a link below to some of the photos of the work in progress, as well as some of the supplies and raw materials which will be a part of this project.

Flickr Mushroom Art Project slideshow

I've been spending a lot of time reading through various mushroom cultivation and growing books, online blogs with mushroom growers and enthusiasts, as well as some more technical books, like the Fungal Biology textbook.

The next step I am trying to work out is the media and design side, esp. looking into trying to animate some of the process visually, esp. in relation to the mycelial growth and running. I've found a few really neat inspirations so far, but nothing that is exactly what I want, so the search continues...