This artwork is created in a collaboration between Stephan Duquesnoy and Studio PMS ( http://www.studiopms.nl/ ) Studio PMS was tasked by the Centraal Museum Utrecht to create a digital version of a gown that is in the historic fashion archive of the museum. After the creation of the 3D dress, they approached Stephan Duquesnoy to use the digital archival version, and portray it using his own vision.

The final artwork is an unique NFT that shows the gown in a romanticized version of the Netherlands in 1905. Throughout the day we can subtly see the colors and light changing as time progresses.

The artwork was exhibited at the Central Museum in Utrecht from the 23rd of April 2022 until the 19th of June 2022 as part of the “From Pattern to Polygon” exhibition.

The original velvet gown, with a generous train and trimmed with gold lace, was originally worn by Lady Henriette van de Poll (1853-1946), who was lady-in-waiting to Queen Emma from 1880 to 1934. This velvet gown was created by the famous Madame van der Taelen from Bruxelles.

One of the special qualities of the dress is that the fabric color is susceptible to light changes. It can go from a dark forest green dress, to a bright green dress depending on the light conditions. So seeing the dress once, doesn’t really do it justice, the context that the dress is presented in matters.

The actual gown is ageing, and requires specific conditions to be displayed, there will be a point in the future that this small part of history will vanish. But the dress can keep existing on the blockchain in its own frozen time bubble.

View the original dress on the Centraal Museum archive page: https://www.centraalmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/10726-001-002-tweedelige-avondjapon-bestaande-uit-japon-en-sleep-mme-h-van-der-taelen#/