Isabela Cotecchia
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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