In collaboration with Neutelings Riedijk Architects, Iris van Herpen wrapped the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, The Netherlands in over 1000 meters of delicate concrete friezes that merge fossil forms with the fabric of the designer’s collections.
Each of the orange stone blocks, which contain the museum’s nine galleries, is wrapped in a frieze designed by van Herpen that combines couture fashion with rock formations and fossils, while each of the 263 panels that wrap the blocks were molded from concrete and small-grained white marble aggregate to create a delicate feel that is reminiscent of fabric.
To create the form, van Herpen looked at numerous stone formations and fossils within the museum’s collections and traveled to see formations in nature.
“Iris van Herpen has spent the last decade establishing herself as not just a designer but as someone who is constantly pushing the boundaries of what clothing can be. Her high-tech creations are often jaw-dropping, as if fantastical illustrations have somehow burst unexpectedly to life.”
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