A tapestry of sound adds a new dimension to ‘Sculpting the Senses’

Tue 17 Sep 2024

Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art exhibition ‘Sculpting the Senses’ — an Australian exclusive until 7 October 2024 — highlights the iconic designs of Iris van Herpen, an acknowledged visionary of fashion. The exhibition is supported by a unique soundscape created by Dutch sound designer and composer Salvador Breed which expands and enriches the experience.

Watch | Salvador Breed creates a tapestry of sound

Drawing inspiration from the depths of the ocean, the mysteries of the universe, the regenerative forms of nature, our bodies in movement and visions of humanity in a distant future, Dutch fashion designer van Herpen redefines and transcends the boundaries of prescribed femininity to become something more open, daring and transformative.

This exhibition features 130 garments and accessories from across the designer’s career, arranged according to nine themes. Following a journey from the deep sea in ‘Water and Dreams’ to the outer reaches of the cosmos in ‘Cosmic Bloom’ — and everything in between — it reveals how van Herpen combines traditional craftsmanship with innovative technologies to create a new language that synthesises ideas from fields as diverse as ancient mythology, marine biology and quantum physics.

At the heart of this immersive journey lies the collaboration with Salvador Breed, whose rich tapestry of sound adds a new dimension to the exhibition. Created in symbiosis with ‘Sculpting the Senses’, Breed’s ambient soundscape resonates with the worlds that are important to van Herpen, paired with the rich visual and material textures of van Herpen’s looks, it envelops visitors in a sensory experience.

Water & Dreams

Sensory sea life

Forces behind the forms

Skeletal embodiment

Growth systems

Synaesthesia

Mythology of fear

New nature

Cosmic Bloom

As longstanding collaborators, van Herpen and Breed make ‘sounds for dresses’, as van Herpen explains: ‘When I experiment on textures, he starts translating it into soundscapes for the shows. So when I discovered that every sound can be visualized, through water, for example, my world turned upside down. Instead of Salvador translating the textures I was creating into music, I could also think the other way around.’

Breed sculpts sound, vibrations, frequencies and moments of silence, with the use of field recordings, vintage analog and modern technologies, he puts down atmospheres, movements, and impacts, blurring boundaries between music and sound design.

As Breed explains: ‘Sound, when woven into an exhibition, has the power to elevate the visitor experience, enriching the narrative… the importance of sound design in museum exhibitions lies in its ability to transform a visual experience into a multi-sensory journey… sound design has the power to make the experience come alive.’

In ‘Cosmic Bloom’ orchestrated by Salvador Breed, this collaborative sound work is intended to evoke the infinite and mysterious nature of the cosmos and has been composed as a grand finale for the ‘Sculpting the Senses’ exhibition. An electro-acoustic score creates an immersive experience for viewers in the colour-saturated environs of the space. All the musicians involved are current or past van Herpen collaborators, and their connections with the designer inform the score, described by Breed as a meditation.

Watch | Journey through ‘Sculpting the Senses’

Watch | Iris van Herpen in conversation

Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses
Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Brisbane
The Fairfax Gallery (1.1), Gallery 1.2, and the Eric and Marion Taylor Gallery (1.3)
29 June to 7 October 2024

The exhibition 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.