Still life: A fine body of work on show in Paris

Van Herpen collaborated with Belgian artist Lawrence Malstaf to create a human installation in the centre of the catwalk in which models were suspended in vacuums between plastic sheets, with oxygen holes enabling the models to breathe. The set design for the collection, entitled Biopiracy, changes the way the body is represented with models floating in mid-air like motionless embryos.

‘In the recent past, patents on our genes have been purchased. Are we still the sole proprietors of our bodies?’ asks Van Herpen. As the gap between science fiction and reality shrinks, the designer is making a political comment about the commercial development of human genomes.

For more examples of how artists and designers are using the body to tell complex stories about science and commerce, read our Growable Futures microtrend.