Nomadic Fungus Shows Up At The Art Car Museum

Our Little Yellow Nomadic Fungus School Bus made the trip down to Houston, Texas this last fall to take part in the annual Art Car Museum open show. The Art Car Museum has been displaying artistic automobile oddities for 18 years so it was only natural that the Nomadic Fungi Institute connect up with this Houston institution.


The opening event crowd was an eclectic mix of car crazies and art lovers. All in all a high energy, talkative and friendly group.


















It's a good thing the NFI Lab sterilizes samples before we putting them on display. We would hate to think this enthusiastic art lover might have unknowingly transported a few Nomadic Fungus spores to his own car.

The Crunchy Capri Terrarium

The NFI staff is abuzz with excitement due to the unexpected rapid growth of Nomadic Fungus on the Crunchy Capri spore sprouting test sample.

Photos are being taken, measurements of all kinds are being made, handwritten notes are filling up legal pads.

Focusing On Crunchy Capri

It was just a week ago that Crunchy Capri developed a few silvery bubbles. Then overnight long spiraling tendrils sprouted from all sides of Crunchy Capri and filled the jar from top to bottom.

We were hoping that at least one of the ten Nomadic Fungus Spore Sprouting Test samples would show some level of response but this sudden burst of growth by Crunchy Capri was completely unexpected.

We have been keeping meticulous notes throughout the testing process. A review of those notes has yet to shed light on what sparked this reaction. More observation, more testing, more research is required.

The Long Tendrils of Crunchy Capri

The camera at the NFI Lab has been clicking nonstop all morning long. As soon as photos are down loaded from the camera, the camera is click, click, clicking again. One more from this angle. One more up close. One from above. One from below...

I could post over a 100 photos on the NFI website right now, and it's not even lunch yet. So with a bit of judiciousness here are two quite fetching photos of the dramatic growth inside the Crunchy Capri jar. I'm sure we'll be posting more soon.

Crunchy Capri Developments Mycelium

The coffee cup slipped from my hand as I gazed upon Crunchy Capri. Over night it had gone from a bubble covered car to a jar full of silver twirling mycelium tendrils.

The NFI staff was so stunned by this rapid growth, we are not sure what to do next. Open up the jar and take samples, or sit back and take lots of photos.

There is some concern that all this growth could be building up pressure inside the jar and that it could explode like homemade jam gone bad. That would be a major containment breach disaster. I don't think our renters insurance would cover the cleanup cost.

Bubbles And Boils Oh My!

Each day of the Nomadic Fungus Spore Sprouting Test begins with written and photographic documentation of all ten test samples. This process is repeated at noon and again just before we shut off the lights at the end of the day. That's a little over 300 notations and photographs taken so far.

Most of the test samples have remained inert, but one sample, Crunchy Capri has developed some very photo worthy features.

The curve of the glass jar causes some visual distortion but it is still clear enough to see the large silver bubbles now clustered on the car roof. These are reminiscent of methane biogas bubbles produced in marshes, swamps and bogs.

The next item of note are the small boils of delaminating paint that have appeared across the metal surfaces. Where the paint has flaked away, the newly exposed metal underneath is greenish and swollen.

The Nomadic Fungus Cocktail itself remains clear but a soft gray sediment has now formed on the front windshield.

These developments strongly indicate that the Nomadic Fungus Cocktail used on Crunchy Capri has generated an active Nomadic Fungus culture that is feeding on the car. How far this propagation will progress can only be guessed at, so we'll just have to wait and watch. Take lots of notes and tons more photographs.

Scientific Method Defining The Details

A subscriber to the NFI Facebook page posted a great question What brand of peanut butter jars is NFI using in the Nomadic Fungus Spore Sprouting Test; Jif, Skippy or Peter Pan?

NFI is following the standard protocol of scientific methodology and so yes, we have documented who manufactured the peanut butter and whether it was creamy or crunchy.

One big determining factor on choosing which jars to use was not the chemical make up of the peanut butter but the lid on the jar. Most peanut butter companies such as Jif, Skippy and Peter Pan use plastic lids which we were concerned would not hold up to the Nomadic Fungus Cocktail. So we opted for Smucker's Natural and U.S. Grade A Fancy Government peanut butter which both use good old, Made in America steel lids.

Excited Staff At NFI Can't Stay Seated

As things continue to develop with the Nomadic Fungus Spore Sprouting Test it has become very hard for the NFI staff to stay focused on the dull, humdrum daily tasks of running the Nomadic Fungi Institute. Every five minutes someone is sneaking off to peak at the cars in jars incubating in the NFI Lab.

Assuredly, it is very exciting to be part of this ground breaking experiment, but I am becoming concerned about the unwashed dishes, over flowing trashcans and the lack of toilet paper. It's beginning to look and smell like my old KCAI dorm room.

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Nomadic Fungus Incubation - End Of Week One

At the end of week one of the Nomadic Fungi Spore Sprouting Test, all of the test samples are showing some level of reaction. This photo taken with a full-spectrum oscillating lamp highlights the RGB electromagnetic spectral distribution of each jar.

This is a very strong indication that we are on the right path to successfully sprouting Nomadic Fungus spores. 

Cars In Jars - Creamy Cooper

Interesting discovery this morning. The doors on Creamy Cooper - NFSST-03.2015 were open and the jar now feels warm to the touch. We have sent our archivist to CVS to pick up a thermometer.

This all occurred sometime between locking up the lab for the night and shortly after making the first pot of staff coffee this morning. We have no idea what caused the doors to open. We should have installed a 24 hour video camera inside the NFI incubator/toolshed. But then again, we should have some sort of grant money to pay for items such as video cameras....

Cars In Jars - Crunchy Capri

Now this is Exciting!!! After only a few hours submerged in the Nomadic Fungus spore cocktail, Crunchy Capri NFSST-03.2015 has developed a thin coating of rust and small silvery bubbles on its surface. The cocktail emulsion has taken on a deep purple hue.

Cars In Jars - The Silver Ranger

Over the past three days the NFI Lab has been conducting tests on sprouting Nomadic Fungus spores. This Nomadic Fungus test sample is labeled NFSST-01.2015 but around the NFI Lab we are fondly calling him the Silver Ranger.

The spore enriched cocktail that the the Silver Ranger is immersed in has shifted in color from a yellow amber to pail ruby green. We have not noted any signs of growth on the surface of the vehicle as of yet but our hopes are high that the Silver Ranger will soon be hosting a plethora of Nomadic Fungus sprouts.

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First Step In Making A Nomadic Fungus Cocktail

Going on the assumption that a key component to germinating healthy Nomadic Fungus spores is the incorporation of household waste products, the NFI Lab dispensed with sterilized beakers and replaced them with recycled peanut butter jars.

Into each jar a scale model automobile is placed and then filled with our specially prepared spore laden cocktail composed of a wide variety of household and industrial byproducts. (For public safety the exact ingredients and proportions of the spore cocktail are not being released at this time.) The lid is then screwed on tight.

The jars are placed on stainless steel oven racks we salvaged from a condemned barbecue restaurant. These racks are then placed inside the NFI incubator/toolshed. They will be monitored daily for the next four weeks.

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Out From The Shed Into The Lab

...If I every go looking for my hearts desire again, I shouldn't look any farther than my own backyard"  Dorothy, Wizard Of Oz

In June of 2014 NFI successfully sprouted Nomadic Fungus spores. Unfortunately this achievement was done under less than scientifically acceptable conditions... as in a bucket stored in the dilapidated toolshed behind the NFI offices.

So, this time around we are following the National Guidelines for Scientific Methodology which means we are recreating in a controlled laboratory setting our dilapidated toolshed, and then filling it with a hoarders bounty of rusty lawnmowers, paint cans, weed killers, sacks of fertilizer, plastic jugs of used motor oil, and of course several dented gasoline cans.

Somewhere in this mashup of decay, household chemicals and automotive refuse is the key to germinating and growing strong, healthy Nomadic Fungi. We succeeded once by mistake. Now, it is our task to discover the exact concoction for repeatable success.

We will be posting directly from the NFI lab so make sure you subscribe to the NFI blog so you don't miss any of the excitement.

www.WorldOfNomadicFungi.com