Iris van Herpen has a connection with Megan Cope’s sculptural installation
Megan Cope, Quandamooka people , Australia b.1982; Whispers Wall 2023; Oyster shells, steel cables; QAGOMA acknowledges the support of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland in presenting this work; © Megan Cope; Courtesy: The artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane / Iris van Herpen, Netherlands b.1984; Diploria coat, from the ‘Escapism’ collection 2011; Polyester–cotton-blend with metal thread; Collection: Groninger Museum, Netherlands; © Iris van Herpen atelier / View full image
Quandamooka artist Megan Cope’s hanging tapestryWhispers Wall 2023 (illustrated) welcomes you to the exhibition ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) until 7 October 2024. Cope’s sculptural installation crafted from thousands of oyster shells, each meticulously cleaned by hand, makes reference to the ancestral middens that were built from the accumulated shell waste of Australia’s First Nations people over thousands of years.
Whispers Wall has been transplanted to the Gallery from the ocean. The work connects shared narratives and kinships to the saltwater world and is a reminder of the environmental challenges facing our oceans today.
DELVE DEEPER: Journey through ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’
Watch | Time-lapse of Megan Cope’s ‘Whispers Wall’ installation
In creating the Diploria coat (illustrated) that connects with Whispers Wall, Iris van Herpen took inspiration from the coral species Diploria labyrinthiformis, also known as brain coral, due to the resemblance of its folds to grey matter, the outermost layer of the human brain. Typically found in shades of yellow, tan or grey, Diploria supports a diversity of marine life by being a foundational, reef-building coral responsible for creating biodiverse and rich environments for many other reef species to thrive.
From the ‘Escapism’ collection, the silvery-grey coat is asymmetric, with one half recalling a coral outcrop, while the other suggests sunlight playfully catching the ocean waves above, and also references hanging behind, the oyster shell mantle of hard calcium carbonate with the smoothness of its pearlescent interior. To create the lustrous sheen of the fabric, metal yarns have been woven with black silk thread in opposite directions, the hand-pleated fabric then draped and stitched to form a shimmering garment of two complementary textures.
Together, Cope and van Herpen’s works offer a commentary on the interconnectedness of humans and nature, inviting us to reflect on our relationship with the environment.
Iris van Herpen ‘Diploria’ coat 2011
Megan Cope, Quandamooka people , Australia b.1982; Whispers Wall 2023; Oyster shells, steel cables; QAGOMA acknowledges the support of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland in presenting this work; © Megan Cope; Courtesy: The artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane / Iris van Herpen, Netherlands b.1984; Diploria coat, from the ‘Escapism’ collection 2011; Polyester–cotton-blend with metal thread; Collection: Groninger Museum, Netherlands; © Iris van Herpen atelier / View full image
‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ / Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Brisbane / 29 June to 7 October 2024, across the ground floor in The Fairfax Gallery (1.1), Gallery 1.2, and the Eric and Marion Taylor Gallery (1.3).
The exhibition is co-organised by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris and QAGOMA, Brisbane, based on an original exhibition designed by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.