Ghost Orchid
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Morphed and hybridised in a digital environment, Ghost Orchids thrive between nature and culture, the real and the surreal, the tangible—and the imaginary.
On this page
Bred like flowers in a digital realm, the abstract, organic-shaped Ghost Orchids explore the goals and constraints of creativity, material innovation, and the passage of time. Inspired by the flower breeding process, digitally modelled floral hybrids are 3D-printed using translucent, biodegradable PLA, reflecting the tension between preservation and transformation.
Research
Research
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My maternal grandfather was an orchid breeder. He would work all night and sleep all day, in tune with the plant’s vegetative cycles.
Process
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[ img ]Laboratory sample: bacteria on PLA surface -
[ img ]Alcova display rendering -
[ img ]Alcova display design
Made of a compostable, plant-based filament, the sculptures provoke us to reflect on our role as creators, guardians and collectors. Custom bioreactors and enzyme-bacterial systems developed in collaboration with the Łukasiewicz Institute for Engineering of Polymer Materials and Dyes in Toruń activate controlled decomposition, turning the installation into a dynamic exploration of material life cycles.
Installation
Installation
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O2502. Ghost Orchid installation view. Alcova Milano
Ghost Orchid installation view. Alcova Milano
O2301, Théoule-sur-Mer, France
Prototype printing
O2301, Théoule-sur-Mer, France
O2501. Ghost Orchid installation view. Alcova Milano
O2301
Detail
Just like wild orchids, with their singular forms resulting from specialised adaptation to niche ecosystems, the pieces interact with the environment they are placed in, and contribute to defining its spirit – the genius loci. In dialogue with the surroundings, they highlight the organic concrete structures of Maison Bernard by the French Riviera, bridge the past and the future within the derelict Pasino Glasshouses, and lay a cornerstone for the Swidno Foundation’s sculpture garden. Wherever they appear, their extraterrestrial forms continue to pose questions.
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Digital rendering
Installation
Impermanence, balanced by the power of memory, is an important quality that defines our experience of the material world.
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O2301 (detail)
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O2504 (detail)
How do you engage with things that you thought were impossible to find in real life?
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Installation view at Alcova Milano 2025
Works included
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O2301
Orchids3D-printed PLA, metal structure.cmH: 390 W: 300 D: 170inH: 153.54 W: 118.11 D: 67 -
O2501
OrchidsPLA -
O2501
OrchidsPLA -
O2502
OrchidsPLA
Year
2023-Ongoing
Team
Marcin Rusak
Tamara Pilawska Baranowska
Igor Jansen
Jakub Kozlowski
Gosia Hinz
Klara Czerniewska-Andryszczyk
Micaela Costa
Adam Białek
Marcjana Wojdyła
Jacqueline Sobiszewski
Luke Jaszcz
Marcel Kaczmarek
Tamara Pilawska Baranowska
Igor Jansen
Jakub Kozlowski
Gosia Hinz
Klara Czerniewska-Andryszczyk
Micaela Costa
Adam Białek
Marcjana Wojdyła
Jacqueline Sobiszewski
Luke Jaszcz
Marcel Kaczmarek
Specialists
Łukasiewicz Institute for Engineering of Polymer Materials and Dyes, Toruń, Poland
Małgorzata Stpiczyńska, Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
Bogusław Binkiewicz, Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
Project co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland (iam.pl)
The POL-KOMP product was created as part of the project ‘Bioproduct accelerating the decomposition of biodegradable polymeric materials in compost’ (no. LIDER/48/0247/L-12/20/NCBR/2021) financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR).
Małgorzata Stpiczyńska, Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
Bogusław Binkiewicz, Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
Project co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland (iam.pl)
The POL-KOMP product was created as part of the project ‘Bioproduct accelerating the decomposition of biodegradable polymeric materials in compost’ (no. LIDER/48/0247/L-12/20/NCBR/2021) financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR).
Photo credits
Jacqueline Sobiszewski
Marcin Rusak Studio
Rusak Family Archive
Marcin Rusak Studio
Rusak Family Archive
Exhibitions / Location
Théoule-sur-Mer, France
Milan, Italy
Świdno, Poland
Milan, Italy
Świdno, Poland
Marcin Rusak
Tamara Pilawska Baranowska
Igor Jansen
Jakub Kozlowski
Gosia Hinz
Klara Czerniewska-Andryszczyk
Micaela Costa
Adam Białek
Marcjana Wojdyła
Jacqueline Sobiszewski
Luke Jaszcz
Marcel Kaczmarek
Tamara Pilawska Baranowska
Igor Jansen
Jakub Kozlowski
Gosia Hinz
Klara Czerniewska-Andryszczyk
Micaela Costa
Adam Białek
Marcjana Wojdyła
Jacqueline Sobiszewski
Luke Jaszcz
Marcel Kaczmarek
Łukasiewicz Institute for Engineering of Polymer Materials and Dyes, Toruń, Poland
Małgorzata Stpiczyńska, Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
Bogusław Binkiewicz, Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
Project co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland (iam.pl)
The POL-KOMP product was created as part of the project ‘Bioproduct accelerating the decomposition of biodegradable polymeric materials in compost’ (no. LIDER/48/0247/L-12/20/NCBR/2021) financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR).
Małgorzata Stpiczyńska, Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
Bogusław Binkiewicz, Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
Project co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland (iam.pl)
The POL-KOMP product was created as part of the project ‘Bioproduct accelerating the decomposition of biodegradable polymeric materials in compost’ (no. LIDER/48/0247/L-12/20/NCBR/2021) financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR).
