2023 Galleries
The Spark Gallery pages are one of our most popular design destinations, with thousands of visitors each year. Check out some of the latest Spark entries, in the galleries below.
Galleries // 2023 Spark:Fall/Winter Student // Mycelium Builder
Mycelium Builder
Winner - Silver
Competition: Spark:Fall/Winter Student
Designer: Zih-Yun Lin
Design Type: Concept
Company / Organization / School: Ming Chi University of Technology
Team Members: Zih-Yun Lin, You-Jie, Wu & Prof. Li Kai-Chu
Every year, a staggering 26.8 million toys are discarded globally, with up to 90% being made from plastic materials and having an average lifespan of just 6 months. Mycelium Builder employs the cultivation of mycelium to empower children to craft their own toys, fostering the creation of unique and meaningful items. By blending flour, mycelium, and rice bran, and placing the mixture within hand-folded paper molds, children engage in a nurturing process that introduces them to materials, the concept of circularity, and the importance of environmental conservation. These toys ultimately biodegrade into compost in the soil, acquainting children with the notion of returning to nature and reducing both the environmental impact of plastic toys and their exposure to plastic products.