Coprinus comatus aka Shaggy mane is a common mushroom found growing along roadsides, front lawns, and waste sites. Apparently it grows in Iceland (which I will definitely be looking into come June 2018!)
shaggy mane, from Strathcona
Coprinus comatus
The young mushrooms, before the gills start to turn black, are edible. The taste is mild; cooking produces a large quantity of liquid. My interest in the Shaggy Mane is to experiment with their ink, which is apparently light fast. I have been looking into growing them, and asking friends within Ontario to harvest them onsite- and I will either pick them up, or pay for shipping.
My goal is to hack an inkjet printer and replace the standard CMYK or RGB inks with mushroom, acorn cap, cochineal, and another yet to be determined nature ink. Other experiments include mushroom papers, and using the ink and blended bodies for 3D printing media and Bio/Myco-remediation projects.
Alexis Williams and I will be working on the Coprinus comatus project together, with one outcome being a book printed in above mentioned inks.
Please visit: http://www.nanopod.me to read more about my recent artist residency with the Ayatana Research Program
Meanwhile, I am also conducting experiments with non-human organisms towards sound art collaboration. Please visit here, Fungi Funk
Tosca Teran 