Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology | Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is opening the doors to its 2016 spring exhibition on the 5th of May. Entitled “Manus x Machina” and curated by Andrew Bolton, the exhibition promises to be a rich display of innovative couture, featuring fashion powerhouses such as Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Iris van Herpen, Issey Miyake and Balenciaga.
The theme of the exhibition is already hinted at in the title: latin for “hand” and “machine”, the collection explores the complex relationship in fashion between the handmade and the machine-made in the creation of haute couture and off-the-shelf garments.
“Traditionally, the distinction between the haute couture and prêt-à-porter was based on the handmade and the machine-made,” curator Andrew Bolton explains, “but recently this distinction has become increasingly blurred as both disciplines have embraced the practices and techniques of the other.”
Featuring over 150 pieces of fashion made with techniques as diverse as traditional embroidery and lacework to futuristic laser cutting, thermo shaping and sonic welding, we are thrilled to announce that the exhibition will also feature various 3D printed creations made in collaboration with Materialise.
Stay tuned for further posts from us about our involvement in the creation of each featured project, and in the meantime, why not read about our previous fashion collaborations?
Manus x Machina will take place from the 5th of May until the 14th of August, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, U.S.A. See you there!