Beehave – Sir Ian Blatchford (Science Museum) – red oak – AHEC (Petr Krecji)
‘Some people call me an artist, others a designer, and some a weirdo.’
Marlene Huissoud is an experimental designer and artist that works as a freelance designer for different companies alongside the art & design areas. In 2014, she graduated from a MA Material Futures at Central Saint Martins’ School of Art and Design in London where she developed the project From Insects. An exploration of insect materials from the common honeybee and the Indian silkworm.
Marlene’s work questions our way of making by creating purposeful pieces that ethically challenge the properties of natural resources and that defy the role of Design in society and its use nowadays. Self aware and progressive, Marlene’s work balances Nature’s natural disorder with Man’s disordered need to find meaning in everything. Her work process is an invitation to take consciousness of our impact on Earth and act upon it. This juxtaposition allows the observer to take a look and wonder whether or not if things would be better if we just let the world be. She believes in the value of a concept and the importance of the creative process.
From Insects 2 – Credit: Studio Marlène Huissoud
Mama 3 – Credits: Sferik Museum
Marlene won the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris in 2024 for her engagement in Design, she is aslo part of the AD100 France in 2024. She has been finalist of the Prix Lilliane Bettencourt as ‘Exceptional Talent’ in 2023, has been named ‘Game Changers’ by AD100, won the Wood Award in 2020, has been named as one of the UK’s top 70 rising design stars representing the future of British design by the Design Council. She has been nominated by the Arts Foundation UK for the Material Innovation Award in 2016, won the Make me! Design Prize in 2015, nominated for Design Parade at Villa Noailles in 2015, won the Diploma Selection Award at Designblok in 2014.
Her work has been exhibited worldwide in major Institutions such as Victoria and Albert Museum London, Centre Pompidou Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs Paris, Chamber New York, Design Miami Basel, Paris and Miami, Design Museum Barcelona, Artipelag Museum Stockholm, Design Days Dubai, Rossana Orlandi Milan, MAK Vienna… Her work is part of major permanent collections, Centre Pompidou Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs Paris, Science Museum London, FRAC Grand Large, CNAP Paris…
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- From Insects – Credit: Studio Marlène Huissoud
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- Of Insects and Men – Credits: Studio Immatters
What are the biggest challenges you have met in your career?
I think it is an everyday challenge, to stay aligned with my values and don’t compromise anything against them. I would say that like every artists and designers that I know my ethical ground is evolving days by days but I have always been very critical of our surroundings.
SWORM – Credits: Helene Combal Weiss
How was your passion design art born?
I had no choice of answering to my internal voice, my internal path. I can’t see myself doing anything else and I’m so lucky to have found my path so easily.
Mama – Credits: Sferik Museum
What is your main source of inspiration?
Being at peace with myself and with nature. And once again being aligned with what is coming out of my hands.
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- The Grave – Please Stand By – Credits: Valentin Russo
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- The Chair – Please Stand By – Credits: Valentin Russo
What does art mean to you?
It is a powerful tool to awake people consciousness and bring hope to a world where imagination and reality collide. To me, the most important thing to respect as artist is to be authentic, it is a work of values. What you project in the artwork has to be pure and connect people and/or other species.
Marlene Huissoud – Credits: Pierre Malherbet