reused hot-air balloon fabric shapes textile installation by marion aeby at dutch design week

Rayonne installation’s recycled fabric dances with the wind

Brussels-based designer and textile artist Marion Aeby explores the interaction between design, material, and public space through Rayonne installation. Featured at Dutch Design Week 2024, this textile structure resembling a tent, a big top, and a shade cloth, is crafted entirely from the upper part of a decommissioned hot-air balloon‘s reused fabric. While standing still, the project continues to roam in a new way by narrating its materiality’s past and creating a visual dialogue with its surroundings.

The public installation provides shelter but also interacts with natural elements like wind and light, transforming public space. Movements in the wind make the textile ‘breathe,’ and the play of light and shadow across its colorful fabric surface creates shifting atmospheres.

Rayonne | image by Marion Aeby | all images courtesy of Marion Aeby

Marion Aeby imagines Rayonne as an ephemeral textile device

Rayonne is designed with a minimalist, adaptable docking system that makes use of existing technical details from the hot-air balloon fabric. The installation requires only four anchor points to attach to elements like lampposts, metal structures, wall studs, or trees, allowing it to integrate seamlessly into various environments. By utilizing re-purposed material and incorporating the structure’s pre-existing details, textile artist Marion Aeby’s work demonstrates a thoughtful approach to both sustainability and public space engagement.

inside Rayonne | image by Marion Aeby

Rayonne | image by Marion Aeby

docking system | image by Marion Aeby

visitors | image by Marion Aeby

visitors | image by Marion Aeby

reused fabric | image by Marion Aeby

entrance | image by Agathe Perrin

visitors | image by Gilles Remy

project info:

name: Rayonne

designer: Marion Aeby | @marion_aeby

photography: Marion Aeby, Agathe Perrin, Gilles Remy