Promoted by ZER01NE(Hyundai Motors Group)
IKARE goods is a product project that builds upon a previous furniture project, utilizing mushroom mycelium as a material. The name “IKARE goods” is derived from the global brand “IKEA” and the phrase “I care”, reflecting both a play on words and a deeper conceptual meaning.
The title “IKARE” evokes the familiarity of IKEA while simultaneously subverting its meaning to convey an alternative message. IKARE – goods introduces a kit-based system in which users can cultivate and shape their own products using mushroom mycelium, a bio-based material. Mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, can be grown in natural conditions to form product shapes. Leveraging these material properties, the project reconsiders the conventional divide between production and consumption, proposing a new model where these two processes are closely intertwined. Through this project, everyday products—typically mass-produced, cheaply consumed, and quickly discarded—can instead become meaningful objects, shaped by the user’s own effort and engagement, ultimately conveying a different kind of value.
ZER01NE Day Exhibition, 2021
"I Care for what I grow", IKARE Concept Video, 0'40"