SCULPTING THE SENSES

Sculpting The Senses Exhibition at MAD Paris

Held at the Musée des Arts décoratifs, from 29 November 2023 to 28 April 2024, the exhibition Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses pays tribute to one of the most forward-thinking fashion designers. A pioneer in the use of new technologies in her discipline, Iris van Herpen transgresses conventional clothing norms, while embracing both traditional Couture craftmanship and innovative techniques.

Ranging from micro to macro, the exhibition questions the place of the body in space, its relationship to clothing and its environment, and its future in a rapidly changing world. A selection of over one hundred haute couture pieces made by Iris van Herpen dialogue with works of contemporary art, by artists like Philip Beesley, the Collectif Mé, Wim Delvoye, Kate MccGwire, Damien Jalet, Kohei Nawa, Casey Curran, Rogan Borwn, Jacques Rougerie and design pieces by Neri Oxman, Ren Ri, Ferruccio Laviani, and Tomáš Libertíny, in addition to items from the spheres of the natural sciences, such as skeletons and fossils, thereby instilling a unique resonance with historical pieces. The exhibition will be presented in the Christine & Stephen A. Schwarzman Galleries, and curated by Cloé Pitiot and assistant curator Louise Curtis, with the scenography entrusted to the Studio Nathalie Crinière.

Sculpting The Senses Book

Sculpting the Senses is an oeuvre of van Herpen’s work from the last sixteen years pushing a multidisciplinary dialogue between fashion, nature, art, and science.

It chronicles not only the most iconic designs, but also explores her vision on shaping fashion more intelligently including future-facing technology and craftsmanship that often blur the boundaries between the organic and the artificial.

Published to coincide with the retrospective exhibition at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the book brings together hundred striking Haute Couture designs of Iris van Herpen that transform the body into multi-sensory beings.

Extraordinary closeup photos reveal close collaborations with researchers, architects, artists and engineers for cutting-edge materials and techniques.