Iris Van Herpen (Dutch, born 1984)
DRESS
Autumn 2012, haute couture
3D printed (stereolithography) dark orange epoxy by Materialise, hand- sanded and hand sprayed with a technical transparent resin.
1:16 – I noticed how the light falls onto certain parts, highlighting specific areas that reveal more details about the dress.
1:18 – I noticed the use of color and the dimensions of the dress at the back, which extends in the same pattern to about a quarter size of the dress
1:20 – I noticed the hardness of the material and its sharp movements within the dress.
1:22 – I thought about how the material was made in a way to give off both transparent and opaque effects in a dark orange hue of the color.
1:29 – I thought about how the material stayed in one piece to allow the person wearing the clothes to walk in it, and what types of adhesives may be used.
1:32 – I thought about how when the designer said he built it in layers using liquid polymer, and how each piece might have looked when it was first made.
1:40 – I thought about the creator, and how he created a material that was so unique and how it stood out amongst the rest of the fabric on display.
1:45 – I thought about what the actual influence was to create this final outcome, and thought it might have been inspired by goldfishes.
2:06 – I noticed the perfect use of symmetry between the two sides.
2:16 – I noticed the in depth aspects of the dress and saw wondered if layer inside was made up of the same material or a different fabric.
This project relates to my semester project because it involves the use of unstereotyped materials made by artists to make an object seem further cliched. My seminar topic is about the “Role of materials in art to make something defamiliarized.” This particular object at the MET could maybe be used as an example in my paper to explain how the artist thought of recreating something in an unorthodox or nonconventional way to show something unique and beautiful.
