Marlène Huissoud
'Some people call me an artist, others a designer, and some a weirdo.'
Marlene Huissoud is an experimental designer 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.
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…
Education
2014
2011
Central Saint Martins | MA Material Futures | London
National School of Design & Fine Art | BA Textile Design | Lyon
2024
Awards
2024
2023
2022
2022
2021
2018
2020
2018
2018
2017
2016
2015
2015
2015
2015
2015
2014
2014
2014
Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris- Engagement in Design
AD 100
Prix Bettencourt pour l'Intelligence de la Main - Talents d'exception | Finalist
Prix Bettencourt pour l'Intelligence de la Main - Talents d'exception | Finalist
Greater London Entreprise Awards | Most Unique Sculpture Art & Designs Studio 2022 | Winner
AD 100 - The Game Changers
Wood Awards - Bespoke Category | Winner
Justus Brinckmann Förderpreis | Nominated
Global Excellence Awards | Most Innovative Experimental Artist of the year
Business Excellence Awards | Most Innovative Design Studio
Decorex International | Future Heritage
The Arts Foundation Fellowship | Material Innovation | Nominated
Make me! | Winner | Lodz Design Festival
Design Parade 10 | Nominated | Villa Noailles, Hyères
SEED FUND | Winner | London
DESIGN COUNCIL | Selected to represent the future of British design
Ambiente Messe Frankfurt | Talents
DESIGNBLOK | Winner Product Design – Diploma Selection | Prague
MATERIALICA | Nominated MATERIALICA Design + Technology Student Award
IDEAS TAP | Graduate Award – Design category