SOFTlab colorizes shoe gallery in new york with flower canopy

SOFTlab colorizes shoe gallery in new york with flower canopy
all images courtesy of SOFTlab

in new york city’s galeria melissa, SOFTlab has combined their exploration of technology and craft with the delicate nature of the shoe company’s ‘we are flowers’ collection. for the installation, the studio used over 20,000 translucent flowers to create an undulating 4,000-piece lattice surface that is suspended from the ceiling. each of these unique pieces of mylar and acrylic were laser-cut and secured together through metal gromets on both sides of the net’s intersections. the created permeability allows the form to capture light and shadows in multiple ways that change according to the time of day.

the engineered nature of the project is tempered by the delicacy and exuberance of the colorful petals attached to the structure. this canopy hangs down into the gallery at specific places to make the installation more immersive and spatial. as it moves downwards towards the floor, it terminates in steels loops that maintain its shape. although the designers used significant digital technology to develop the work, they hope it remains mostly hidden in order for everyone to experience the hanging garden of flowers.

a large funnel is suspended into the feature stairwell at the rear of the store

the installation covers the entire ceiling of the store 

the surface is engineered to hold its shape using custom laser cut mylar panels

the panels are individually grommeted together

the overall form is held in tension by the weight of custom steel rings

view from greene street in soho

axon of the installation

exploded axon of the various elements 

section through the store

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.