I feel 
Tactile Wall art Presentation
Dutch Design Week Eindhoven

In autumn 2021, the “Looking with your hands” exhibition at The Hague's museum Escher in Het Paleis presented something totally new in terms of museum fashion. Inspired by his visually impaired mother, Michelangelo Winklaar designed a haute couture collection you are allowed to touch as a visitor. Taking the target group of visually impaired people as his starting point, he served a much wider audience in practice. After all, who doesn't know the temptation to touch unusual shapes, textures and fabrics? With his inclusive approach to museum fashion, Winklaar dispenses with the prevailing “do not touch” credo; touch is allowed, and for many it is an enriching experience. At the exhibition, visitors experienced the sensation of raw sequin fabric that feels like scaly skin, as well as the airy layers of pleated tulle, delicate floral embroidery or the angular shoulder pads of an 80s blazer. Winklaar designed special showcases to go with it like a kind of incubator, with holes you could stick your hands through. It tasted like more. He applied to the fund for in-depth research into the ins and outs of tactile textiles: howdo you make it in such a way that it doesn't wear out, fade or get dirty from all the hands that pass over it? And how do you make the experience even more surprising or interesting for a diverse audience?  With this inclusion, Winklaar immediately aims to breathe new life into the craft of haute couture. He focused this year on professionalising his practice, culminating in the drop of a second exhibition: “Looking with your hands 2.0”. In The Hague, he delved into the fashion archives of the Kunstmuseum, to find out which textile techniques stand the test of time better than others. In Paris, he refined his embroidery skills to create less fragile embroideries. And at the Netherlands Institute for Image & Sound, he went in search of special sound clips - to make it even more sensual. He also talked to curators and designers about exhibition design. "Making an exhibition involves so much, I am now immersing myself in all aspects. Meanwhile, I am also reflecting on my way of working. As a creative, your brain is always on, I have learned that I need to turn myself off from time to time." Yet that turning off may only be for a short while: early October there is already a pre-launch of the first one on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague.

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