Ep. 70: Mycelium Coffins, Living Homes & Building with Bio-Materials (feat. Bob Hendrikx)

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed by the presence of inventor & bio-designer Bob Hendrikx, coming to us all the way from the Netherlands. Through his work at Studio Hendrikx, Bob strives to restore the parasitic relationship between humanity and its environment by expanding the horizon of human imagination and exploring living materials. His Living Cocoon project has captured headlines around the world with a coffin made from mycelium that helps bodies decompose faster while improving the surrounding soil. Through all of his design endeavors Bob embraces the notion that current way we build and produce materials must change fundamentally. I’m excited to hear from this visionary designer how we may be able to shift humankind's 200,000-year model of parasitism and extraction by taking a cue from Mother Nature who has been leading the way for 3.8 billion years by growing materials in ecological harmony.   

Topics Covered:   

• Becoming a bio-based designer  
• Living vs Dead Materials  
• Free Technology Found in Nature  
• What is “Homo Natura”?  
• Listening to Nature Helps us Listen to Each Other  
• Inspiration for the Mycelium Coffin  
• Becoming Compost, Not Waste  
• Facing our Collective Fear of Death  
• Living Homes Made of Mycelium  
• Self-Healing T-Shirts  
• Bioluminescent Streetlights  
• Smashing the System vs. Growing a New One  
• Growing Our Way to a Better Society  
• Future Projects for Studio Hendrikx  

Episode Resources:   

• Bob Hendrikx Website: https://www.bobhendrikx.com/  
• Bob Hendrikx IG: https://www.instagram.com/studiohendrikx/  
• Genus Ramaria (Mushrooms): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramaria