In the studio with botanical artist-designer Marcin Rusak | Work in Process | Wallpaper*

Summary of the Video’s Content

The video features botanical artist-designer Marcin Rusak (speaking as Martin Usak), describing a studio practice centered on botanical materials and the tension between decay and preservation. His work seeks to communicate the passage of time, human vulnerability, and the desire to “hold on” to things—while also acknowledging that some pieces are meant to disappear.

Rusak collects flowers that would otherwise be discarded, processes them using experimental methods, and creates objects/installations designed to either endure or decompose in controlled yet natural ways.

Artistic Techniques, Concepts, and Creative Processes Shown

• Research → experiments → new materials

  • He begins with concept research, which evolves into practical experiments.
  • He invents materials and adopts industrial processes tailored to the work’s goals.

• Botanical material practice with waste-derived inputs

  • He sources flowers from waste sources (e.g., flower shops and growers at flower markets).
  • Flowers are brought to the studio and processed through his own methods.

• Process-led materiality

  • The form is treated as the final outcome, not the starting point.
  • A central goal is for the work to reflect the material behavior and process it undergoes.

• Deliberate use of transformation (decay/preservation spectrum)

  • Works are designed to either:
    • last (preservation), or
    • decompose and disappear (decay).
  • Natural agents are allowed to change the work over time, including:
    • sun melting components,
    • fungi growth over surfaces,
    • rain acidity breaking down certain elements.
  • The endpoint can become a blank canvas, inviting reflection on whether and how things can be preserved.

• “Alchemy” as a guiding concept

  • The practice is described as a kind of alchemy: combining elements so that a critical interaction happens at a precise moment.

• Two-stage practice: studio vs. environment

  • The Warsaw studio functions as an experimentation space for building the work.
  • A separate natural incubator setting—specifically a 17th-century villa with a garden—shapes the final behavior of the work.
  • The approach emphasizes not controlling nature too much.

• Time-based authorship and user intention

  • He aims for users to become conscious custodians of the pieces, understanding that change is part of the work’s identity.

• Biological lineage / metaphor

  • He connects his practice to a personal family history of flower growing.
  • He compares flowers’ rapid transformation to the artworks’ intended evolution.

Steps / Materials / Advice (Implied Process List)

1. Collect inputs

   • Gather flowers from waste channels (flower shops and growers at flower markets).

2. Process them in the studio

   • Use his own methods to convert flowers into new materials/objects.

3. Develop the work iteratively

   • Begin with concept research → conduct experiments → potentially invent materials and use industrial processes.

4. Choose the work’s lifespan approach

   • Decide whether the piece is meant to last, or decompose and disappear.

5. If using natural transformation, move to the incubator environment

   • Place the completed work in the natural incubator (villa/garden) so that:
     • sun, fungi, and rain acidity naturally affect it.

6. Accept temporal outcomes

   • Allow the piece to reach its end state—including potential pure disappearance/blank canvas—to raise questions about preservation.

Creators or Contributors Featured

• Marcin Rusak (also referred to in subtitles as Martin Usak)