ganofornia
We are establishing the standards, measures, and predictive growth models necessary to transform regional fungi into a shared public utility. The Ganofornia Project demonstrates a future where biological knowledge is ethically sourced, open, and material production is local, powered by regional organisms and feedstocks.
Key Research & Efforts
- Public Utility Fungi: Our goal is to develop “as-open-as-possible” wood-decay fungi adapted for biomaterials growth – a common biological platform available for use or to onboard local fungi. These fungi can be accessed and refined by artists, scientists, and community members alike.
- A Template for Cultivation: We are establishing a digital and laboratory roadmap for moving a wild specimen to a stable, utilized strain. This framework allows others to bypass proprietary silos and cultivate regional fungi using their own local feedstocks.
- Protocols, data and tools: in association with our open fungi, we will be generating and sharing biological characteristics, omics data, and protocols for growth and manipulation. a transparent library that informs how we grow, manipulate, and engineer fungal materials for future utilities.
- Predictive Growth Modeling: By testing multiple fungi across a vast array of growth conditions, we are building predictive models that anticipate how specific strains will behave. This data-driven approach allows us to optimize strains, environments and feedstocks with precision, moving beyond trial-and-error.
- High-Throughput Testing & Standards: We are conducting high-throughput testing to establish formal standards and measures for filamentous fungi. This ensures that "open" materials meet the reliability and performance benchmarks required for industrial and creative applications.
- Ethical Collection and Use Framework: To root the act of cultivation in ethical use and power-sharing, we are developing an adaptable model for aligning biotechnology with Indigenous bio-sovereignty, environmental treaties, and biodiversity stewardship.
- Artist-Led Experimentation: Through creative collaborations, we engage with fungi as a medium for inquiry. This expands our cultural understanding of waste and growth, and positions scientific rigor as an arena for artists’ expressions.