Iris van Herpen | Ludi Naturae | Process film (short) 

A close look inside the process of creating the ‘Ludi Naturae’ Couture collection, diving deeper into the design and production of the Foliage dress.
With 'Ludi Naturae', Iris van Herpen examines the natural and manmade landscapes of our world from a bird’s-eye view, tracing the laws of entropy.
“I zoomed out to look at the earth’s skin, trying to find the forces behind the forms. Looking from this perspective, I felt inspired by the patterns of chaos and order, nature and civilization blending into infinite hybrids.”
The fabric of the Foliage dress is laid into a 3D printer that uses PolyJet technology to print different materials simultaneously. The dress was printed directly onto tulle as thin as 0.8 mm, creating optimal softness. The resin material cures when exposed to ultraviolet light. By alternating three variations of this material on droplet level, variations in color and transparency were achieved. Researchers developed a parametric model to translate 2D patterns into 3D data, defining the variations of color and transparency. After 260 hours of 3D printing, the parts obtained their final shape after post-processing when stresses within the material deform the printed elements. This design is a fusion of precisely controlled digital 3D modeling and the less predictable analog nature of deformation. In collaboration with TU Delft.
Video by Ryan McDaniels