Crossing Boundaries with Biodesign – Ori Orisun and Made by Insects
By Nina Purton
If someone told you the next great innovation in design was coming from an insect smaller than a grain of sand, you’d probably assume it was some futuristic nano-tech breakthrough. But for designer Ori Orisun Merhav, the future of materials isn’t being invented—it’s already here, hidden in the natural world, quietly perfected over millions of years by some of nature’s tiniest architects.
Ori, the visionary behind Made by Insects, is redefining how we think about materials, sustainability, and our relationship with the natural world. Her work revolves around shellac, a natural polymer secreted by the Kerria Lacca insect. This resin, once a staple of the manufacturing and design industry, has been overshadowed by synthetic materials. But in Ori’s hands, it’s getting a 21st-century revival—one that involves a mixture of traditional glass-blowing techniques, modern 3D printing, and a radically new design philosophy.
Also from “Crossing Boundaries with Biodesign”:
Insects: The Original Designers
Before we dive into Shellac, let’s talk about its creators. Insects are nature’s unsung heroes—pollinators, soil engineers, waste decomposers, and, in the case of Kerria Lacca, material manufacturers.
Consider this:
- 75% of global crop species depend on insect pollination.
- Ants and termites aerate soil, improving its water retention and nutrient absorption.
- Beetles and dung bees break down organic waste, keeping ecosystems clean.
- Insects provide a food source for countless other species, forming the foundation of the food web.
- Some insects, such as the Kerria Lacca, produce materials humans have used for centuries, demonstrating nature’s ability to offer renewable resources (think of silk, natural dyes, and early musical records).
And yet, despite their critical role in maintaining balance, insects are often reduced to mere nuisances in human perception.
Ori’s work shifts this perspective, placing insects at the heart of design and material innovation. Her practice asks: What if we designed materials in collaboration with nature rather than in opposition to it?
A Journey into Mutualism
As part of her research, Ori developed a relationship with agricultural experts and local Shellac producers in Thailand who, after months of correspondence, invited her to witness the insect harvesting process first-hand.
During her time there, Ori didn’t just observe the insects—she immersed herself in the local farming community, learning about the traditional methods of cultivating Kerria Lacca. She was deeply inspired by the farmers’ generational knowledge and their deep respect for the ecosystem that sustains them. Many expressed concerns about the declining demand for shellac due to synthetic alternatives and the uncertain future of their livelihoods.
She spent weeks alongside them, learning about how they cultivated the right ecosystem for the insects to grow which included plantations from other existing agricultural sites. She observed how farmers preserve rainforest trees which are key in ensuring the right humidity for other crops. After providing the insects with a healthy environment and a 10-month period of minimum interference to reproduce, the farmers carefully begin harvesting after the insects hatch from their cocoons, following techniques passed down for generations. The farmers also use leftover branches as firewood over the winter.
The experience reshaped her approach to design, reinforcing the idea that materials should not just be sourced from nature but exist in harmony with the people and environments that sustain them.
Beyond the technical aspects, she observed the deep cultural significance of Shellac to the farmers. The resin was more than just a product—it was part of a generational legacy, an ancient practice tied to rituals and the rhythms of agricultural life. Conversations with the farmers revealed their fears that their traditional knowledge might be lost as industrial substitutes replace natural materials.
This experience fueled one of Ori’s long-term aspirations: bringing advanced fabrication techniques, like 3D printing, to these farming communities. Whether or not the farmers integrate this technology into their livelihoods, Ori wishes to share a bit of her reality with them as they generously did with her. By merging traditional knowledge with modern technology, she envisions a future where Shellac production isn’t just preserved but becomes a source of endless possibilities, creating new economic opportunities while keeping the material’s ecological footprint minimal.
Shellac: A Material Rediscovered
Shellac isn’t new—it’s been around for centuries. Once a go-to varnish, adhesive, and even a food glaze, it fell out of mainstream use with the rise of synthetic polymers. But while plastic dominates modern manufacturing, it comes with environmental consequences that Shellac avoids. As a natural biopolymer shellac is non-toxic and biodegradable and, when used indoors, it is also UV-resistant and doesn’t yellow over time. It even has thermoplastic properties, softening when heated and hardening at room temperature—a quality Ori is pushing to new creative limits.
By embracing both glass-blowing and 3D-printing as manufacturing techniques, she simultaneously respects tradition and expands Shellac’s possibilities beyond conventional uses. These experiments are about more than aesthetics; they’re about rethinking materiality itself.
“We need to change the way we shape,” she explains. “We need to expand our archive of materials.”
Bio-Inclusivity: Rethinking Our Relationship with Materials
It’s not just about the materials. Ori also questions our vocabulary.
In our conversation, we both shared our discomfort with a well-known, and often overused word: Sustainability.
“It’s limiting. What is sustainable? It sometimes blocks our minds from taking steps.”
Instead, she prefers the term bio-inclusivity. Rather than simply minimizing or eliminating materials that are currently harming our environment given the scale and methods of production, it’s about actively fostering new relationships between biological and industrial materials. It’s not about rejecting synthetic materials outright but questioning what we bring into our material ecosystem.
Her designs, inspired by insect-built structures, naturally blend the organic with the industrial, challenging the rigid uniformity of most human-made environments.
From the Lab to Everyday Life
Ori’s work doesn’t exist in isolation—it thrives on collaboration. She works alongside scientists, engineers, and material specialists, constantly pushing the boundaries of shellac’s potential. Some of her key milestones include:
- 2023: First 3D-printed Shellac objects in collaboration with Ginger Additive, Reflexlab, and Aeditto.
- 2024: Appointed Associated Researcher at Avans Hogeschool’s Bio-Polymer Lab, where she explores enhancing the properties of the polymer
- Ongoing: Partnering with material engineer Tom Sanson to refine Shellac printing techniques — including their shared mission to make the printer more like an insect itself.
- PAD Paris 2025: Her Meet Me Under the Tree installation, first featured at (PAD London with) Sarah Myerscough Gallery in London, will return at (PARIS) Milan.
- During Milan Design Week with the ROOTS Foundation: She will also feature her explorations with her mother, a ceramicist, on the potential of Shellac as a glazing material.
Her broader mission? To encourage a material-driven approach and cross-disciplinary collaborations, sparking more research around organic materials for cutting-edge solutions.
Photo Credit: Lea Krabe
What We Can Learn from Insects
If there’s one thing insect species like the Kerria Lacca do well, it’s not overconsuming. They take what’s needed to sustain their ecosystem, ensuring their own survival in the process. The Kerria Lacca’s ability to transform tree sugars into a durable polymer is a natural blueprint for responsible material use—one we’d be wise to learn from.
Ori’s work isn’t just about reviving an old material. It’s about asking deeper questions: How much is enough? What if we designed with the same intelligence as nature?
If a tiny insect can produce a polymer that lasts centuries without harming its environment, what’s stopping us?
A Video Courtesy of Sarah Myerscough Gallery
About the Author
As a sustainability, innovative materials and well-being writer, Nina Purton is an avid investigator of all things circular. She is set on researching behavioural patterns, pioneering materials and initiatives that are revolutionising the way we produce, consume, and relate to other human beings and the natural environment.
You can find out more about her on her LinkedIn profile and website.