Accidental Growth Mika Tan Site
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.
Rather than discard, Tan isolated the contaminated cultures and found that the Trichoderma produced a flexible, water-resistant pellicle with tensile strength superior to the intended bioplastic. accidental growth mika tan
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. The molds created unexpected relief textures and color
