The molds created unexpected relief textures and color gradients impossible to plan. One vessel developed a radial pattern resembling a city map—later identified as Physarum polycephalum foraging behavior.
Accident revealed a new material category: locative textile —fabric that indexes the microbial history of its environment. Unrepeatable, but generative. 4.3 Spore Bank: Failed Specimens (2024–ongoing) Tan attempted to cultivate a pure strain of Aspergillus oryzae (koji) on rice waste to produce a uniform bioplastic. Contamination by wild green mold ( Trichoderma ) repeatedly occurred. accidental growth mika tan
Different fungal species created distinct “zones”—Penicillium produced blue-green patches that stiffened fibers; an unidentified basidiomycete decomposed sections into lace-like holes. The resulting fabric could not be cut or sewn conventionally; Tan instead suspended the sheets as “recordings of a place.” The molds created unexpected relief textures and color
A new material named “Wildermold Skin.” Tan now intentionally cross-contaminates her koji cultures with local molds from different sites, producing regionally distinct bioplastics. Unrepeatable, but generative