PROVIDENCE RIVER,
RHODE ISLAND
USA | 2023
OVERVIEW
The workshops engaged around 34 RISD students and members of the public. The participants were educated about mycelium fabrication through a visual presentation and demonstration accompanied by graphic informational handouts. Over the course of a week, participants teamed up to grow their very own biopod and planted them with native salt-marsh flora. Our team worked with WaterFire Providence®, an independent nonprofit arts organization, to launch the pods into the Providence River during their annual Clear Currents Waterfire Festival. This community paddling event celebrates improved water quality in RI in August 2023, and was attended by over 10,000 people. The biopods were launched with the help of the kayakers at the Clear Currents event. An information booth featuring a growing biopod was set up alongside the river to educate the community about the project and source feedback.
PROGRESS
Two months after the launch, the biopods were presented at the Fifth Annual Stormwater Innovation Exposition, organized by the Rhode Island Green Infrastructure Coalition, the Providence Stormwater Innovation Center, and the Providence Parks Department at Roger Williams Park, to a mixed audience of around 100 experts and hobbyists.
