New Years Res #1: Sculpting with Mycelium

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Mycelium

(my·ce·li·um \mī-ˈsē-lē-əm\) the mass of interwoven filamentous hyphae that forms especially the vegetative portion of the thallus of a fungus and is often submerged in another body (as of soil or organic matter or the tissues of a host)  A.K.A. — mushroom roots

Tosca was interviewed by Ecovative Designs. Check out the interview here, https://ecovativedesign.com/blog/178

Sculpting with Mycelium: working with environmentally friendly, renewable materials. Tuesday evenings,  January 8th, 15th & 22nd 7pm-9pm. 

Bio-materials are grown over several days, participants meet up every 5th or 7th evening after the first start-up date to check on their Mycelium’s growth and/or sculpt or desiccate their forms! $60/pp includes:
1 round planter growth form
1 bag of Hemp substrate inoculated with Mycelium
Sculpting mix
Nitrile gloves
Particulate masks
Mycelium food
GIY instructions
1 Succulent to plant into their finished Mycelium planters!

Grow-It-Yourself Mushroom® Material is the perfect way to bring your Earth-friendly creations to life! Whether you have a product idea in mind, or just want to experiment with the material at home, GIY Mushroom® Material is meant for you! This workshop includes everything you need to grow a round (or square) planter, as well as hand-sculpt a small form! Evening 1 we start with an introduction and demonstrate how this growth material works, as well as discuss Mycelium; what it is, its benefits to us and our environment. Then everyone feeds their Mycelium and leaves them to rest in a safe, cozy dark place until the next workshop evening!
Evening 2: WOW look how you’ve grown! Your Mycelium has grown and consumed its substrate. Now we gently, yet firmly work with our Mycelium through sculpting with special media and/or using forms to grow our planters!
After forming/sculpting the Mycelium is again placed into a dark, cozy space where it can happily grow to fill or cover our structures!
Evening 3: Your planter/sculpture is ready for desiccation and use! Everyone unpacks their forms, weighs them and then we bake them until they weigh approximately 35% less then pre-desiccated weight. Participants also have the option to dry their forms at home. Once dried we plant our lovely succulents and marvel over nature!

Organic tea, coffee, and snacks will be offered during workshop evenings.

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Mycelium to Midi with the Mushroom Music Bio-Sonification Module!

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December 11th and 13th, 7pm to 10pm Build your own Mushroom Music Bio-Sonification Module and start listening to the biology around you! 

This workshop is taking place at co:Lab 906 Queen Street West, Toronto  

Collaborate sonically with the non-human organisms around you. Next time you go on a picnic bring along your Mushroom Music Bio-sonification Module & listen to the sounds of the forest, how it responds to your presence then, place the electrodes onto your friends or hook up your houseplant and see how it really feels!
Participants receive step by step guidance putting together their own Mushroom Music Bio-Sonification Module kit and help in understanding how the device works. Once kits are built participants are shown how to change Midi scales/channels, LED brightness and more with Arduino. We will discuss MIDI and how it works.
Last half of the workshop participants place electrodes onto plants, fungi, themselves or each other and listen to their Bio-data through Ableton Live, Animoog, Model 15 (or similar digital music apps and analogue synths) creating a Bio-Sonification Symphony!

Various plants, soil and Mycelium will be available during the workshop for
participants to place their electrodes onto along with iConnectivity Midi to USB/Lightning connectors for participants to try out different instruments/software; Ableton, Animoog on iPad, Model 15 (on iPhone & iPad), Moog Mother32s, Make Noise NoCoast, etc. Other possibilities are shown and discussed, for instance, Ableton Max/MSP Midi video disruption!

Each participant receives their very own Mushroom Music Bio-Sonification Module kit, a Module container file that they can 3D print offsite and a lo-tech version we will put together during the workshop, a set of electrodes and electrode pads or electrode clips (participants can choose during the workshop). The Mushroom Music Bio-Sonification Modules were created by Tosca Teran with the assistance of Manuel Domke and Sam Cusumano!

Prerequisite? Using a soldering iron is super helpful as we will be soldering electrical components to circuit boards (We will also show people how-to). Some Ableton Live knowledge is helpful, but not necessary!
Please bring along one (or both) of the following: a laptop with Ableton live installed or Smartphone or iPad with the Animoog app or Model 15 app installed or Mini Moog Model D!  Please bring headphones.
Try Live for free (30 day trial) https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/

USB/Lightning connectors by iConnectivity will be available for participants to try out with their iPads/iPhones/Androids (and purchase) or purchase ahead of class through Moog Audio!

 

 

Ring Band workshops November & December • Last workshops for 2018!

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Ring Band Workshops Saturday afternoon, November 24th or December 8th, 1pm-4pm $88/pp includes all materials to construct a beautiful, wide band sterling silver ring! Learn how to properly measure your finger(s), work with a Jeweller’s saw and blades, add textures with hammers, stamping tools and rolling mill. Form, solder and finish!

Last workshops for 2018!

 

Ring band workshops

 

 

Metal + Glass November

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Metal + Glass 4-week course Starts up November 5th and runs – 8 evenings. Monday & Wednesday 6:30-9:30pm  $285/pp  Spaces are still available for Monday’s start-up!

Almar’s cuttlebone cast from an 4/wk course in Iceland

 

evening #1: First evening: working with copper: safety, drilling, sawing. Adding textures.

evening #2: Making a ring band out of silver (stamp, hammer finish, roller print, etc.)

evening #3: Working with wax create a small piece w/the lost wax technique- to be cast in Sterling silver.

evening #4: Finishing wax projects, invest models for casting in metal. Waxes for metal casting are weighed and calculated (*sterling runs $2.50/grm. Lab fee includes 20grams of sterling silver casting grain). Lo-tech casting with Cuttlefish bone.

evening #5: Cast moulds in sterling silver!

evening #6: Enameling copper projects, forming, how to make your own basic findings.

evening #7: Bezel settings cabochon stones or fossils or crystals, or an enamelled glass piece.

evening #8: Finish up projects


No experience necessary!

Copper, wax, glass, and some sterling silver are supplied*.  A list of local suppliers is included.   Questions concerning this course? Please see our FAQ’s

What’s included:
Approx 4×5” piece of copper sheet, 2’ copper wire, sterling silver for 1 ring band, fine silver bezel wire to set 1 cabochon cut stone. Glass is included for casting/flame-working (whatever method is covered), silver solder to complete class projects, wax, 10 grams of sterling silver for casting (either cuttlefish or lost wax), powdered vitreous enamel, 1 doz saw blades, 1 1mm drill bit, 1 half face particulate respirator, nitrile gloves, refractory materials for casting moulds.  Students are encouraged to supply their own cabochon cut stones, crystals, rocks, etc.

Additional materials not included: cabochon cut stone(s), extra sterling silver grain for lost wax castings, sterling silver sheet/plate for setting stones on/constructing other pieces.  Sterling silver casting grain may be purchased at $2.50gram.

The lab fees offer tools and materials for students to continue projects at home and start setting up their own studio.
Lab fee $150.00 (optional) what it includes:
adjustable jeweller’s bench pin, jeweller’s saw frame, 1 gross (144) jeweller’s saw blade assortment, 20 grams of sterling silver casting grain, 2″x2″ sterling silver plate.
Lab fee 1

Purchase gift certificates in advance! Get that holiday shopping DONE.

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January 2019 Glass workshops:
Advance registration is always a good idea when it comes to ordering colour! 😉 

Pate de Verre workshops – Participants learn how to fill a pre-made mould of a small bowl with glass paint, glass powder and fine glass -frit-, the moulds are then fired and participants return to the studio to divest and finish their bowls.  $150/pp Materials included, no experience necessary!  Weekend workshop: January 5th & 6th, Sat: 12-3pm/Sun: 1pm-4pm
 

Students learn the basics of pâte de verre from start to finish while making a thin-walled, kiln formed bowl. Students have access to a broad palette of coloured frit (crushed glass) and samples to help predict and understand fired qualities. Demonstrations include various techniques of working with glass powders against the mold, working with color reactions, as well as how to back-fill a packed mold to support the walls of the piece during firing.   

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Glass Kiln forming workshop Saturday & Sunday, January 12/13/19/20 $380pp+(optional) lab fee  12pm start.
This intensive class introduces fundamental concepts of creating glass objects in the kiln either through lost wax casting, Pate de Verre or a combination of the two. Learn the art of lost wax casting glass, and the pate de verre process.  From paper thin to thicker lost wax models, adding metal inclusions, and more. Students will learn how to make moulds from existing objects using Alginate and/or silicone, as well as model new ones from clay and wax. Hand built moulds and box moulds will be made with various refractory materials. Students will learn different firing and annealing schedules for casting & pate de verre. Hand cold-working without the need of expensive equipment! No experience necessary!  All materials are included. Students are required to bring in their own half-face respirator with particulate filters. Aprons are available for use at the studio, as are all tools and equipment necessary for sculpting, firing and cold working glass, however, students are welcome to bring in their own tools, etc., just make sure your items are marked. kiln casting workshop
 Size max 18cm in any direction.
Day 1: Replication. Students will make silicone or alginate moulds from items they wish to cast in glass. Examples: plastic/vinyl toy/action figure, anatomical models or small branch, unusual vegetable/fruit, seed pod. Items could also be modelled from Sculpey clay and fired ahead of attending the workshop. Glass options are discussed. While the silicone moulds cure, students build a small bowl form out of clay (add texture/details) and from there build a refractory mould, once set-up the clay is removed and students are shown how to apply glass to the mould a la Pate de Verre. Colour samples are also made on this day.
Day 2: Wax pouring and hand-built moulds. Students pour multiple waxes from their silicone moulds, refine their wax models (add or subtract). Models are then weighed and various glass options are revisited. Once glass choice is determined pouring gates are added to models and then a silica based refractory mould is built around the wax models. Once moulds set up the wax is then steamed out. Meanwhile, glass is weighed, and cleaned. -Items are cast & annealed over the week.
Day 3: De-mould kiln castings/cold working Students remove their kiln cast objects and start the cold working process. Various methods and equipment are discussed and demonstrated.
Day 4: Finish cleaning kiln cast objects.
What’s included:1.5 kg of glass, silicone/alginate materials necessary for mould building, Refractory materials, Wax, Nitrile glove, sn95 Particulate respirator, Cold-working consumables

Lab fee (optional): $100 covers Gaffer crystal colours*, Bullseye colours: sheet, billet or coarse frit, metals, & mould kits. Students are emailed concerning glass colour choice, otherwise everyone works with clear glass and coloured frit.

Glass: we will be working with Bullseye glass (clear).
For the Pate de Verre project participants work with clear fine frit, and may add colour through painting onto the mould surface using glass Powders. The studio has a basic colour palette of Bullseye Glass Powders in red, orange, yellow, greens, and blues along with black and white.
For the kiln casting part of the course participants are working with Bullseye glass Crystal Clear Kilncasting Cullet. Or Gaffer crystal (please see below).
Projects: we will complete several projects
1- colour samples for cast items.
Working with Alginate or Hydrogel
1- Pate de Verre- thin walled ‘casting’, open-face mould.
1- Solid kiln cast form, discuss refractory materials, mother moulds, face coats. Venting/gating/sprueing up your wax model.
Note:
If you want to work with coloured Bullseye Glass Frits (fine, medium, course, etc for Pate de Verre and/or casting), Billets (casting only) or Gaffer Crystal (Not compatible with Bullseye, only used in solid casting part of course))> that is extra (the Lab fee) and would need to be ordered ahead of the class. This is not mandatory at all, though.
That said, if you are unfamiliar with Bullseye and/or Gaffer glass you of course would ask:  …what’s the difference, why would I choose to work with one over the other?
Bullseye glass is made from Soda Lime, and depending on colour various oxides, metals, pigments are added. Gaffer is created similarly however it has a low viscosity at normal casting temperatures and has virtually no tendency to devitrify -at all- at top casting temperatures, nor on its descent in temperature down to the annealing range. Furthermore, its very low viscosity, 
and low surface tension at 780-900°C. (1426-1650°F), leads to very good surface definition. This makes it especially suitable for jewelry scale pieces, as well as large work.
 
Bullseye Glass is offered in various forms: Sheet, billet/cullet, Frit, Rod, stringer, Powder.
Gaffer casting crystal is offered in: Billet, chunky ‘frit’.
 
There will be items on display at the studio made from both Bullseye and Gaffer. 
 Links to view glass colours (Frit, Billet), and Gaffer crystal.

 

Construct a OOAK ring band with bezel setting!

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ringSpecial Ring band, Bezel & Prong setting Workshop. Or make a pendant!

Available dates/times:
Thursday evening’s starting January 3rd in the new Queen street west location!
during Open Studio time 906 Queen Street West at Crawford street!

6:30pm-9:30pm 3 evenings
$225 per person includes materials for 1 ring (cabs not included)

Learn how to measure, fabricate and form ring bands, bezel/prong set cabochon stones, saw, and solder. Texture your metal designs using hammers, stamping tools, or by fusing/soldering cut-out shapes, small balls, metal shavings, etc., onto the band. Learn what annealing is and work hardening your metal. Students leave with beautiful, handmade, OOAK creations and the knowledge/skills to build more work!

A resource list of suppliers is included. Reserve your seat(s) soon!

Workshop includes:
fine silver bezel wire for a cabochon cut stone.
wire for prong-like settings or to use to as a bail for a pendant.
solder
saw blades
Students supply their own cabochon cut stones, crystals, rocks, etc. OR purchase a stone from SonaTona Gemstones when they visit the studio with their inventory! Visit @sonatona_gemstones and purchase from them ahead of the workshop. Note: we do not receive a kickback or percentage by sharing/hosting Sonatona_gemstones. We suggest their stones because they are beautiful and Sonatona are lovely people to work with! Plus, they’re local! 🙂

bezel settings

Register with 3 or more friends and receive 10% off (each seat).

 

BioData to Midi with the Open Source MIDI Bio-Sonification Module

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“Bio-sonification,” basically means using technology to turn the bio-rhythms of natural objects into sound.

Bio-sonification workshop: non-human collaboration (mycelium to midi and beyond!) Tuesday and Thursday, December 11th & 13th 7pm-10pm $95/pp
Collaborate sonically with the non-human organisms around you. Next time you go on a picnic bring along your Bio-sonification Module & listen to the sounds of the forest, how it responds to your presence then, place the electrodes onto your friends or hook up your houseplant and see how it really feels!
Students receive step by step guidance putting together their own Bio-Sonification Module kits and help in understanding how the device works. To better understand how the Bio-Sonification module works, on the first evening we Breadboard our components and Flash our Atmega chips. Once everything is connected and operating properly we then solder our kits together! Once the kits are built participants are shown how to change Midi scales/channels, LED brightness and more with Arduino. We will also discuss MIDI and how it works.
Last half of the workshop participants place electrodes onto plants, fungi, themselves or each other and listen to their Bio-data through Ableton Live, Animoog, Model 15 (or similar digital music apps and analogue synths) creating a Bio-Sonification Symphony!

Various plants, soil and Mycelium will be available during the workshop for
participants to place their electrodes onto along with iConnectivity Midi to USB/Lightning connectors for participants to try out different instruments/software; Ableton, Animoog on iPad, Model 15 (on iPhone & iPad), Moog Mother32s, Make Noise NoCoast, etc. Other possibilities are shown and discussed, for instance, Ableton Max/MSP Midi video disruption!

What’s included?
Each participant receives their very own Bio-Sonification Module kit (Printed circuit board and all necessary components (resistors, capacitors, LEDs, chips, etc), a Module container file that can be 3D printed offsite and a lo-tech version we will put together during the workshop, a set of electrodes w/Bio-medical pads OR electrode clips (participants can choose during the workshop).

Prerequisite? Using a soldering iron is super helpful as we will be soldering electrical components to circuit boards (We will also show people how-to). Some Ableton Live knowledge is helpful, but not necessary!
What to bring along?
Solderless Breadboard: We will have some available for use, but feel free to bring your own!
A laptop with Ableton live installed or a Smartphone or iPad with the Animoog app or Model 15 app installed or Mini Moog Model D!
There are many digital synths available for smartphones and iPads, make sure the one(s) you want to work with are MIDI capable.  Please bring headphones.
Try Live for free (30 day trial) https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/
Soldering irons will be available for use, but again please feel free to bring along your own!

USB/Lightning connectors by iConnectivity will be available for participants to try out with their iPads/iPhones/Androids (and purchase) or purchase ahead of class through Moog Audio!


Biodata Sonification is a process to translate complex real-time sensor data into musical notes and controls, exploring the auditory sensory modality to provide insights into invisible phenomenon.

Seacliff life along Húnaflói Bay, Iceland.

As an artist, I am interested in how all things sense and communicate. Directly connecting to our surrounding biology. Electrodes are attached to non-human organisms and pick up subtle fluctuations in galvanic conductance on the surface of these organisms. These fluctuations are translated to MIDI using technology based off of the original MIDI Sprout. Through sampling pulse widths and identifying fluctuations, MIDI note and control messages are generated, which are then sent into analogue and digital synthesizers.

I was so excited by my first experiments of attaching electrodes onto Mycelium (I started growing Mycelium in February 2018) that I immediately wanted to share this experience with everyone! This spawned Midnight Mushroom Music and I am wholly devoted! Every Saturday night at 23:00/11pm EST a new episode goes live through the Mycelium Network (aka Soundcloud & iTunes).  

Metal + Glass 4-week course Starts up November 5th

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Learn how to form, fabricate, solder, set-stones in our 4 wk Metal + Glass course, etch, cast and more!

Almar’s cuttlebone cast from a 4/wk course in Iceland

Metal + Glass 4-week course Starts up November 5th and runs – 8 evenings. Monday & Wednesday 6:30-9:30pm  $285/pp Pay in full or put down a deposit. December dates below. 

evening #1: First evening: working with copper: safety, drilling, sawing. Adding textures.

evening #2: Making a ring band out of silver (stamp, hammer finish, roller print, etc.)

evening #3: Working with wax create pieces w/the lost wax technique- to be cast in Sterling silver* or bronze.

evening #4: Finishing wax projects, invest models for casting in Metal. Waxes for metal casting are weighed and calculated (*sterling runs $2.50/grm. Lab fee includes 20 grams of sterling silver casting grain). Lo-tech casting with Cuttlefish bone.

evening #5: Cast moulds in sterling silver or bronze! Remove glass pieces from moulds.

evening #6: Enameling copper projects, forming, how to make your own basic findings.

evening #7: Bezel settings cabochon stones or fossils or crystals, or an enamelled or Fused glass piece.

evening #8: Finish up projects

Sculpting Mycelium Workshops

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Mycelium

(my·ce·li·um \mī-ˈsē-lē-əm\) the mass of interwoven filamentous hyphae that forms especially the vegetative portion of the thallus of a fungus and is often submerged in another body (as of soil or organic matter or the tissues of a host)  A.K.A. — mushroom roots

Tosca was recently interviewed by, Ecovative Designs. Check out her interview here, https://ecovativedesign.com/blog/178

Sculpting with Mycelium: working with environmentally friendly, renewable materials
Tuesday evening,  September 18th 7pm-9pm.
Bio-materials are grown over several days, participants meet up every 5th or 6th evening after the first start-up date to check on their Mycelium’s growth and/or sculpt or desiccate their forms! $60/pp includes:
1 round planter growth form
1 bag of Hemp substrate inoculated with Mycelium
Sculpting mix
Nitrile gloves
Particulate masks
Mycelium food
GIY instructions
1 Succulent to plant into their finished Mycelium planters!

Grow-It-Yourself Mushroom® Material is the perfect way to bring your Earth-friendly creations to life! Whether you have a product idea in mind, or just want to experiment with the material at home, GIY Mushroom® Material is meant for you! This workshop includes everything you need to grow a round (or square) planter, as well as hand-sculpt a small form! Evening 1 we start with an introduction and demonstrate how this growth material works, as well as discuss Mycelium; what it is, its benefits to us and our environment. Then everyone feeds their Mycelium and leaves them to rest in a safe, cozy dark place until the next workshop evening!
Evening 2: WOW look how you’ve grown! Your Mycelium has grown and consumed its substrate. Now we gently, yet firmly work with our Mycelium through sculpting with special media and/or using forms to grow our planters!
After forming/sculpting the Mycelium is again placed into a dark, cozy space where it can happily grow to fill or cover our structures!
Evening 3: Your planter/sculpture is ready for desiccation and use! Everyone unpacks their forms, weighs them and then we bake them until they weigh approximately 35% less then pre-desiccated weight. Participants also have the option to dry their forms at home. Once dried we plant our lovely succulents and marvel over nature!

Organic tea, coffee and snacks will be offered during workshop evenings.
This workshop takes place at our Queen Street West location!
906 Queen Street West at Crawford.

August Pate de Verre & Flame-working Workshops

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As if August isn’t hot enough we’ve added some glass workshops to our Tuesday evenings! Pate de Verre (paste of glass) is a technique that allows for precise colour placement and painting or sifting glass into images using stencils. Flameworking off-mandrel: typography & nature teaches methods of sculpting glass under a torch. Heat control, using tools and gravity to shape and form molten glass.

Pate de Verre workshops – Participants learn how to fill a pre-made mould of a small bowl with glass paint, glass powder and fine glass -frit-, the moulds are then fired and participants return to the studio to divest and finish their bowls.  $130/pp Materials included, no experience necessary!  Next workshop Tuesday, August 28th 6:30-10pm
 

Students learn the basics of pâte de verre from start to finish while making a thin-walled, kiln formed bowl. Students have access to a broad palette of coloured frit (crushed glass) and samples to help predict and understand fired qualities. Demonstrations include various techniques of working with glass powders against the mold, working with color reactions, as well as how to back-fill a packed mold to support the walls of the piece during firing.   No experience necessary. All materials provided. 

Glass Flameworking- off mandrel typography, leaves & other forms. Tuesday evenings August 14/21 6:30-10pm, 3 student max  $150/pp 

Create letters, shapes, leaves and other 2D forms using a torch, tweezers and other glass working tools. No experience necessary. All materials provided.

Participants sculpt and form small glass pieces they can use to create jewellery, sculptural works, fused forms/tiles or just to keep as objects. Studio safety, how-to operate a bench mounted torch, basic flameworking tools and working with soft-medium hard glass is demonstrated. Annealing glass is thoroughly discussed along with how-to set up your flameworking space/studio at home.