Talk Marlène Huissoud & Tarik Chekchak

Marlène Huissoud is an experimental designer, after studying at the Beaux-Arts in Lyon, she earned a Master’s in Material Futures from Central Saint Martins in London in 2014, where she developed her groundbreaking project From Insects. This project explores materials derived from the common bee and the Indian silkworm, bringing attention to the potential of natural resources and their role in the future of design. Her creative process is an invitation to reflect on our environmental impact and take action accordingly. Marlène is deeply committed to the value of concept and the importance of the creative process, often working with various experts in the field of entomology. Her designs pay homage to her family’s beekeeping heritage and challenge traditional boundaries between art and craftsmanship. She creates what can be described as living sculptures, blurring the lines between functional objects and artistic expression. In 2024, Marlène was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix de la Création by the City of Paris for her contributions to design, and she was named one of the Top 100 Designers of the Year by AD. Her work continues to make waves in the design world, celebrated for its innovation, ecological sensitivity, and artistic vision. In 2020, Marlène won the Wood Award in the Bespoke category for her Beehive project, designed for the Science Museum in London. She was also recognized as one of the 70 Rising Stars of Design by the Design Council, representing the future of British design, and was named Most Innovative Experimental Artist of the Year in 2018.

Director of the Biomimicry Unit at the Institut des Futurs souhaitables, Tarik Chekchak was for 12 years head of the "Science and Environment" programme of the NGOs Equipe Cousteau and The Cousteau Society. As an ecological engineer by training specialized in promoting and preserving natural environments, he develops programmes for the protection of aquatic biodiversity. He is one of the French pioneers of biomimicry that he deploys as a new position regarding living organisms and as a tool for accelerating eco-design. Tarik Chekchak helps organisations and territories in building innovation and transition strategies to serve our desirable futures. Passionate about polar environments, he is also a polar expedition leader.