This project is born to offer an immersive experience in which the concept of symbiosis with mycelium comes to life through the poetry of fermentation, highlighting the transformation of tempeh.

For 48 hours, the experience revolves around a unique necklace designed to encourage the growth of mycelium into an edible product. This transparent glass jewel is worn next to the skin, allowing the body to generate the heat it needs to grow, a metaphor for the intimate connection between humans and the natural world around them.

Our artistic approach celebrates natural processes and invites us to reflect deeply on our relationship with the ecosystem. By offering our own essence to this project, we are participating in a cycle of transformation and rebirth, where every contribution enriches the final result.

A 3-day performance

We were fortunate to collaborate with FoodCulture Days in the implementation of this artistic work within the Biennale 2023 in Vevey (CH), where the performance took place in three stages:

First, we did an introductory gathering in a serene setting, where we distribute the necklaces, explain the artistic approach and the symbiosis between mycelium and tempeh, and how the experiment will unfold. We then prepared together the necklaces and invited the participants to meet up again in 48 hours. It was an engaging moment of ritual, where participants were very curious and attentive to each step and to the way the magic would work inside this little Petri dish that they would wear around their necks, in complete intimacy, for the next few hours.

The following 48h, everyone wore their necklace while continuing enjoying the rest of the festival activities. During that time, we were happy to observe an exponential effect of the performance, as participants shared their experience live with those around them during the festival, comparing the mycelial network that was being built under their eyes and sharing their state of mind and their feelings about it, living the experience to the full while contributing their bodily and spiritual energy to the growth of the mycelium.

Finally, we brought the performance to a close with convivial sharing over a banquet of food and fermented drinks. Opening our necklaces, we discovered the delicate mycelium that has emerged, symbolising our renewed connection with nature. In a friendly atmosphere, we shared our impressions and savour the fruits of this collaboration together, tasting the little tempehs that have benefited from everyone’s energy. It was a beautiful moment.

This immersive experience invites us to rethink our relationship with living things, by engaging in an intimate dialogue with mycelium, the source of life and transformation.

On your own

To open up this experience to as many people as possible, we’ve made this product available in our shop. We produce it on demand in our Barcelona studio, so that everyone can enjoy the experience in their own way, whenever they like.

And beyond

This necklace has also been used to experiment with other mycelial network, here with oyster mushroom mycelium. The experiment took longer, 3-week of incubation was necessary fof the mycelium to develop fully, but after it did, tiny edible oyster mushroom appeared!

In Indonesia

In 2023, we also led an exciting collaboration with The Indonesian Tempe Movement to produce our necklaces locally, using local resources and experts on site. The necklaces were distributed at a major event of the movement, highlighting the future role of tempeh in our global food system with the quote “Will tempe be the most sophisticated superfood in the future?

Few months before, the founder of the Indonesian Tempe Movement, Amadeus Driando Ahnan, featured our necklace during his speech on “Food Security and Tempe Fermentation at the G-20 Summit in Bali to explain the principles of tempe(h) fermentation and why tempe(h) should be deployed as a naturally nutritious, sustainable and affordable food.

Open to collaborations

We are very proud that our work and the values we embody are understood and used at such events to convey such an important message about the future of our food system and the ecological interaction we have to reimplement in our way of livings.

If you would like to incorporate this experience into an event, please contact us.