Bewilder: Mycelium Furniture and Lamps Grow Beyond Design Control
Established in 2020 by Sze Kiat Ng, Bewilder is a studio located in Singapore that specializes in cultivating over 40 types of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms, with an emphasis on Ganoderma and indigenous varieties. Their creations include lamps, tables, sculptural pieces, bouquets, and Fungariums—miniature ecosystems designed for mushroom cultivation. Bewilder uniquely views mycelium as a living entity, allowing it to evolve throughout the design phase. This approach leads to works that highlight their organic roots, such as The Weight of Nothingness, a coffee table showcased at Homo Faber 2026, crafted in 2025 using fungi cultivated in a mold beneath a crystal glass surface. The growth process for Bewilder's pieces spans three to nine months, showcasing the interplay between matter and nature in design.
Fatti principali
- Bewilder is a Singapore-based design studio founded in 2020 by Sze Kiat Ng.
- The studio cultivates over 40 species of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms, with emphasis on Ganoderma and local species.
- Bewilder produces lamps, tables, sculptural objects, bouquets, and Fungariums—small ecosystems for growing fungi.
- The Weight of Nothingness, a coffee table made in 2025, was presented at Homo Faber 2026.
- The coffee table is composed of fungi grown inside a mold and guided toward a crystal glass top.
- Works can require three to nine months of growth and are made internally, from fungus to final form.
- The design process allows for guided but not fully programmed outcomes, embracing unpredictability.
- Bewilder challenges the designer-material relationship, treating mycelium as a living organism with its own agency.
Entità
Artisti
- Sze Kiat Ng
Istituzioni
- Bewilder
- Homo Faber
Luoghi
- Singapore