Marlène Huissoud

" I grew up in a family of beekeepers in the Alps, surrounded by nature. At a very young age, I was nourished by this environment, and it obviously left its mark on me," insists Marlène Huissoud, 34.

It was with this background in mind that she enrolled at the Beaux-Arts in Lyon and then at Saint Martin's School in London, her dream. " It's the perfect place for experimental design, biodesign and innovation. With her Master's degree in hand, she immediately opened her studio. One thing led to another: private commissions, exhibitions, awards... but as she likes to say, " My main client is the insect. I try to give it a voice, to underline its presence in the world. Creating habitats for pollinators, researching insect waste and its uses, she celebrates their existence. It's hard work," she says, "because you have to spend hours enlarging the scale to give them visibility. Museums and institutions have already acquired her works, but what she lacked was the recognition, perhaps more mainstream, more global, that the Prize brings. And while she is celebrated in London, she is less so in Paris, the city where she works.

" When I presented myself, I was afraid of taking too experimental an approach, but I think the jury saw in me a real commitment, far removed from the trendy greenwashing. " - Marlène Huissoud