Education Resource: ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’
Iris van Herpen (designer), Netherlands b.1984, Carla van de Puttelaar (photographer), Netherlands b.1967 / Synergia Series 2021 / Photograph: Carla van de Puttelaar / © Carla van de Puttelaar / View full image
Fashion, science, technology and art merge in the endlessly innovative world of internationally acclaimed Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. Exclusive to Brisbane, the ‘Sculpting the Senses’ exhibition is an immersive exploration of van Herpen’s design practice, featuring 130 garments and accessories in conversation with contemporary artworks, natural history specimens and cultural artefacts from which she draws her inspiration. A series of thematic rooms reveals the breadth of van Herpen’s inspiration, from the origins of existence to the infinity of the cosmos. Her unconventional and highly collaborative approach to design combines exemplary craftsmanship with sophisticated technologies, such as 3D-printing, to evoke the intricacy and diversity of the natural world.