M003 → Pele Amazonica / Jenipapo
Mycelium Skin Crosslinked with Genipin found in Jenipapo fruit - This makes the Mycelium Material stronger and more flexible, as well as giving it a dark blue/black color.
Jenipapo is a Brazilian fruit used for centuries in the Amazonian region of Brazil by indigenous communities for body painting, rituals, and spiritual practices. It contains a natural crosslinker called Genipin, which gives it its powerful color.
Images by Sebastiao Salgado
It contains a natural crosslinker called: Genipin. The Mycelium and Genipin have a relationship worth exploring. Genipin is also what gives the skin this dark-blue-hued color. Genipin is not a pigment it’s crosslinking with the proteins on our skin, which is why it lasts around 2 weeks on human skin.
Initial Experimentation:
The making of the top:
The Mycelium Skin had grown into a molded top of my chest. No sewing or stitching is required—inverse molding technique with Beeswax.
Jenipapo Crosslinking:
Color change: Green to Purple/Dark blue