Rafael De Cárdenas / Architecture At Large (RDC/AAL) has designed the forthcoming Rodarte exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.—the museum’s first-ever fashion exhibition—opening this Saturday, November 10, 2018.
The exhibition is spread out across eight galleries, each one a self-contained atmosphere with a distinctive design: an army of mannequins, reflecting in infinity mirrors; the softness of a rounded curtained room confronting a rigorous gallery, enhancing the craftsmanship and design of the dresses; a dazzling carousel leading to an unexpected screen box, unveiling some of Rodarte’s emblematic creations; and a postmodern English garden, hallucinogenic and sensual, among other spaces.
The total environment is united by a primarily stark and subdued tone, and infused with a subtle dynamism: surprising variations in spatial geometry, materials including fabrics designed by Rodarte in collaboration with Knoll, and pockets of potent spatial disorientation and amplification layer to showcase the garments.
Against this largely hushed backdrop—with its passages of quicksilver punctuation—ninety of Rodarte’s iconic looks, including the famous Black Swan ballet costumes, float in space among brightly variegated mannequins, disembodied blazes of colored light, creeping patches of flowers, and more.
RODARTE at the National Museum of Women in the Arts
opens to the public on November 10, 2018 through February 10, 2019.
