Hyfen: Fungi Figures

2026

Upcoming: ARCHITECT@WORK Rotterdam — September 2026

Hyphae (“hyfen” in Dutch) are the fine threads a fungus grows from. Woven together they form mycelium: the living network behind these fungi figures.

What normally lives unseen becomes a figure you can share a space with. And because each one grows differently, each has a character of its own.

They stand upright like something that has just broken through the earth. Narrow, tall, with a skin designed by the fungus.

I sew the form from unbleached organic cotton, and let the fungus grow within waste wood chips. After growing, I dry the work and finish it with a biobased coating, leaving the mycelium inactive and odourless. Suitable for normal indoor use, not for damp spaces or outdoors.

The pieces shown are 70 cm tall with a diameter of 5–10 cm, excluding the base. Other sizes and shapes are possible.

Made to order, lead time 4–6 weeks. Price on request. Interested, or have an idea for a space? Email me at barend@barendbootsma.com.