Ori Orisun Merhav Creates Glowing Amber Sculptures
Brussels designer Ori Orisun Merhav wins the 2026 Dutch Design Award with experimental amber sculptures made from insect resin.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Ori Orisun Merhav transforms insect resin into glowing sculptures and furniture
- Her experimental material approach earned her the 2026 Dutch Design Award
- The process combines glassblowing techniques with chemical-free 3D printing
- Portal Into The Multi-Species exhibition runs at Sarah Myerscough Gallery until November 7, 2026
Brussels-based designer Ori Orisun Merhav is redefining material design by transforming the natural polymer produced by tiny insects into luminous sculptures and sculptural furniture. Through her research practice Made by Insects, she heats and blows the amber-colored resin into translucent bubble clusters, mounting some on branching steel structures while suspending others as elaborate chandeliers.
Commercially known as shellac and traditionally used as a protective coating, the substance takes on an entirely new artistic life in Merhav's hands. Her latest research extends into 3D printing and large-scale installations, exploring how insect-produced materials might integrate into our built environments. Following years of dedicated study, the designer was honored with a 2026 Dutch Design Award for her groundbreaking approach.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The resin is produced by Kerria lacca insects, creatures roughly the size of a grain of sand that attach to tree branches, feed on sap, and secrete a protective resin. Merhav first encountered these insects during her studies at Design Academy Eindhoven and traveled to Thailand to study lac cultivation and meet local harvesting communities. This research culminated in her 2022 graduation project, The Lac Lab Open Source.
Back in her studio, Merhav tested the material beyond its traditional uses, discovering that it softens when heated and hardens upon cooling, allowing her to stretch and blow it like glass. Observing the insects' interconnected cellular enclosures inspired her to shift from fragile single bubbles to clustered forms seen in works like the Branching Insects Chandelier.
Using natural bio-polymers in contemporary architecture and design highlights a growing shift toward sustainable, multispecies collaboration. By bypassing chemical modifications in 3D printing, this method bridges biological processes with advanced digital fabrication, paving the way for organic architectural components.
Merhav expanded into digital fabrication in 2023, collaborating with Ginger Additive, Reflexlab, and Aeditto to produce her first 3D-printed shellac objects without chemical modification. She later continued her research with material engineer Tom Samson and the Bio-Polymer Lab at Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, resulting in the irregular cellular structures of her Morphopoiesis vessels.
Her ongoing research is currently showcased at Sarah Myerscough Gallery in the exhibition Portal Into The Multi-Species, on view from October 14th to November 7th, 2026. The installation features delicate shellac bubbles on steel branches, larger textured pieces like The Woven Insect Canopy, and works such as Awakening, Regeneration, and Bifurcation, which reaches 140 centimeters in height and reveals interwoven fibers beneath the amber surface.
Source: designboom
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