Peter Nasielski is from California and graduate from MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture, Jewellery at Central Saint Martins. Peter is an interdisciplinary artist and designer, his research and practice explores the intersection of art, design, and ecology. Peter currently works for Stella McCartney exploring low impact material innovations and responsible product design.
Why did you choose to study MA Design at Central Saint Martins (CSM)?
I chose to study MA Design because I liked the idea of self directed research through practice. I wanted to spend a lot of time making while at CSM and this course was great for that.
What have you been working on since graduating?
After graduation, I was invited for an internship at Lenovo’s Design HQ in Morrisville, North Carolina. Working with Lenovo’s industrial design team, I further developed the formula for a kelp based bioplastic (originally from my course research), exploring applications for bio-based materials in wearable technology. After this, I returned to London and began an internship with the Sustainability team at Stella McCartney. At the start of 2024 I took on a full time role with Stella on the Product Innovation team within the Sustainability department. I am currently working at Stella where my role involves sourcing lower impact alternative materials for fashion and working with next-gen material innovators to scale and pilot new materials within our collections. On the side, I am still home-farming spirulina using the bioreactors I developed during my MA and have had the opportunity to show pieces from my final project 'Symbiocene, Living Furniture' in several exhibitions in the UK and abroad.
What was the most interesting project you worked on during your time on the course?
My masters research explored regenerative design and ways to renegotiate the relationship between humans and the planetary ecosystem. In the midst of this research, MA Design collaborated with Lenovo and Stella McCartney on a 8 week live brief exploring the intersection of Fashion, Tech, and Sustainability. This project brief overlapped with many of the topics I was already engaged with, and I found that considering the additional perspective of Luxury Fashion offered new insights. Ultimately the research I put towards the industry project informed my MA project and vice versa. The final project which I presented to Stella proposed a carbon negative and biodiversity positive process for producing eyewear from regeneratively farmed kelp.
What important piece of advice would you give to students thinking of studying this course?
The workshops and facilities at CSM are fantastic and I would recommend any student to take full advantage of these. Try thinking through making to supplement sketching as a means to capture ideas, 3D experiments are a great way to communicate with tutors and peers.
What was the highlight of your Central Saint Martins experience?
In my first year, I participated in a week-long collaborative residency with Post Grad students from across UAL and visiting scientists from Tokyo Tech exploring resonant frequencies and patterns across scales of nature. It was a great way to meet peers from diverse backgrounds and areas of research and to engage with new ideas. We did some hands-on experiments in the CSM Grow Lab growing slime moulds and practising microsophy - a great experience!
What is the most important thing you learnt on the course?
Great things can happen when ideas get out of your head and into the world, so it’s important to MAKE.
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