Myke Board
The Myke Board is a mycelium-based surfboard that seeks to replace the harmful materials in modern surfboards (polyurethane and expanded polystyrene) with more sustainable materials that are not harmful to the environment or to the shaper. The base substrate is made up of agricultural waste that is then joined together through a fungal strain known for its material properties. The result is a low-dense, hydrophobic material that can be shaped like a surfboard and has a similar performance.
This project is two-fold, it also looks to deconstruct existing polyurethane boards. Under certain conditions, some fungal strains are able to break the chains of polymers in polyurethane materials into simple monomers. This then serves as a source of carbon for the fungal strain, effectively recycling a previously non recyclable material enzymatically.
The purpose of this project is to serve as both an eco-friendly alternative to plastic surfboards and also to strengthen the link between the surfer and the ocean that has deteriorated over the decades. It highlights the troubling realities of the surfing industry and seeks to alter the perception of the tools we currently use to experience the world around us.
The Myke Board seeks to moralise in an implicit way. It doesn't directly tell the user that plastic is polluting and damaging to the environment and the surfboard shaper. In a much more implicit way, its goal is to gradually phase out the use of plastic in surf.
After having conducted a number of interviews to surfers and shapers, I was surprised to find out that the environmental impact of the material of their surfboards was more of an afterthought. Their thoughts were primarily (and with good reason) focused on the performance of the board. They are experiencing the wonders of nature (waves and tides, the interaction between Earth and the moon) in a physical level while simultaneously experiencing an adrenaline high from the thrill of riding a wave. Taking this into account, it is not strange to think that the environmental impact of the boards is not as important, and when the difference between getting a good surfboard out of a harmful material vs getting a good surfboard out of a more sustainable material (wood for example) is several hundreds of dollars then it is even less of a surprise.
Through the introduction of a mycelium board and a service to desintegrate existing surfboards, one could nudge the user into thinking about the procedence and the impact of typical surfboards while waiting out in the ocean for a wave.
Through this project I'm seeking to inscribe the values of efficiency, sustainability, respect, and community onto its users. An issue that has risen in my head many times through the planning of this project, is how it could negatively impact shapers. The Myke board's ultimate goal is to displace plastic as a material for surfboards, but Myke boards can't be grown anywhere in the same way polyurethane boards can. Mycelium require a very sterile enviornment and careful growing conditions otherwise they will get contaminated. This automatically rules out most surfboard shaping environments, because they might lack multiple conditions to fulfil the criteria to grow a Myke Board. As a result, i might create a divide within shapers of those that are able to produce sustainable surfboards and those that are producing polluting surfboards, thus conflicting with the value of equity.
It is very difficult to think of a non-intended use for a mycelium board. It's difficult enough to get it to work as a surfboard, I can't imagine it being efficiently used for other things. The biggest misuse I could muster was maybe the materials used for the substrate. In its current recipe, the substrate is made up of agricultural waste that has no further use. An unintended, unethical alternative would be to use materials that are not waste (say: food that is perfectly edible) and dedicating land resources to fulfill that need. It is completely unnecessary and even unethical to redirect resources towards something that could be covered by being efficient with one's resources.
As a way to resolve these possible ethical issues, I'm maintaining a constant line of communication between myself and the shapers. Taking into consideration their fears, hopes, and needs, I'm hoping to adjust the design or at least the main concepts so that it is freely accesible to anybody that wants to be part of it. Maybe with sufficient optimisation, a laboratory-level sterile environment isn't needed and just a few wipes of alcohol would be sufficient. At the end of the day, a sustainable solution isn't effective if it's just a solution for those that can afford it. For a design to truly be revolutionary in its intended consequence of designing how things ought to be, they need to be available to everyone. Otherwise it is just something nice and pretty to have.