Stalker read an item this month about a student in the US making chess pieces out of fungus. Sam Donato, an environmental studies major, at Ithaca College describes the process.
“I manipulate the organism’s life cycle and essentially stop it growing at a point that I want to use it at,” Donato said. “I am working with the stage right before the actual fruiting of this mushroom. I work with what’s called mycelium, which is the intercellular network of information exchange that the fungus uses to propagate its body.”
To actually grow the chess pieces from fungus, he introduces mycelium spawn mixed with straw into 3D printed chess moulds. Because fungus does not have a particular type of growth, it can grow in any shape, and Donato chose to create chess pieces.
Looking at the end result the pieces do resemble pawns, but they’re maybe a wee bit rough round the edges. Stalker will stick with the classic Staunton set just for now.
