This is a material research project focused on the fungus called formes fomentarius, which is a parasitic fungus that can be found in North America and Europe, typically on birch, but also on beech.
This fungus was used in the past for for small items, but there is some contemporary use by anglers as a hand warmer, fly repellent and a fire starter. In this context the material is called Amadou. It is a spongy, flammable substance that has great water- absorbing abilities.
This project presents Sonja Baumel's material research on how to find the usable 'Trama-layer' of the fungus and how to work with this material. Her research showed that the material properties of the Fomes Fomentarius fungus are that it gets softer the more you touch it, when the material is wet it is shapeable, it is a material made by nature and it is sustainable because after you cut it it re-grows.
