UNNATURAL PROCESS by Marcin Rusak @ Milan 2021.

UNNATURAL PROCESS by Marcin Rusak @ Milan 2021.

Milan 2021 – Nothing survives and everything decays. In the meantime, it can become design. This is the mantra of Marcin Rusak. The Polish artist and multidiscipline designer debuted in Milan with the Unnatural Practice exhibition, showcasing his most recent works and archival and ‘in progress’ pieces that inform the studio’s permanent research.

“As the world came to a halt, the dynamic process of research and creation turned into restrained growth – a dense fermented environment where the end result is no longer an obstacle and possibilities become inexhaustible,” says Marcin Rusak to Archipanic. 

UNNATURAL PROCESS by Marcin Rusak @ Milan 2021.

Marcin explores Nature as an infinite source of transforming processes, spanning from scientific research to aesthetic sublimation. In his work, elements such as flowers, leaves and plants are observed, analysed under the microscope, reconstructed and transformed into raw material to be subsequently re-designed.

UNNATURAL PROCESS by Marcin Rusak @ Milan 2021.

For example, his Perishable Vases collection features vegetable elements that were petrified in metal or resin. “They open a new path back to the formal Art Nouveau we know and advancing a new design era where natural elements can grow into beautiful, functional objects.” His Flora Wallhanging collection looks into flower waste and the process of ageing. The Protoplasting Nature furniture series is composed of waste metal and botanical material.

UNNATURAL PROCESS by Marcin Rusak @ Milan 2021.

Visitors exploring the exhibition could also breathe a perfume-design experience. Rusak teamed up with French fragrance expert and perfumer Barnabe Fillion to capture the transient living – and decaying – nature of the pieces on display.

  • All photos: courtesy of Marcin Rusak. Exhibition curated by Federica Sala.