This weekend is the closing weekend of Hybrid Skins, the exhibition in TETEM art space (Enschede, The Netherlands) about the world of the future and how artists and designers cope with new ethical issues and aesthetic possibilities. We had a little chat (below) with artist Marieka Ratsma, a fashion designer who works across various mediums. She brought the Biomimicry Shoe to Hybrid Skins. It’s a collaboration with American architect Kostika Spaho and a combination of nature and modern technology, translated into a a wearable, smart product: the front of the shoe is the shape of a bird’s skull and the spike of the heel a tapered beak. Using 3D technology, they produced a shoe which requires less support material, resulting in optimal efficiency, comfort, strength and elegance.

What is your background and how did you get involved with 3D printing?

I started out studying Communication & Media in The Hague.

After finishing my Bachelor I worked for a couple of years and then decided to follow my passion for design and art.

During my studies, I discovered a love for concept making and developing products with a visionary appeal. My work has an innovative and avant-gardist vibe, sometimes looking for extremes but always leaving something familiar. I got involved with 3D printing in my graduation year of fashion design. I had this idea for a shoe, that was simply to complex to make in any other way.

What was the inspiration for the Biomimicry shoe?

In one word nature.

“Nature could serve as a source of inspiration for a new way of designing. If we learn from its experience in the field of design, processes and lifestyles, we can develop intelligent systems, ingenious products and effective partnerships. Nature can also prove highly inspiring in the field of fashion. Above all, she can teach us to make more efficient use of materials and smarter constructions. In this regard, rapidly developing innovative technologies, such as 3D printing, may prove beneficial by offering us means of imitating nature more accurately in our designs. Nature actually functions by making efficient use of raw materials and pooling resources. This approach can also be applied in the fashion sector. The smart use of materials and cross fertilisation among various disciplines could lead to a new design perspective. The concentration of strengths and sharing of burdens creates a win-win situation for all players, a synergy.”

What will the future of fashion look like according to you?

I am hoping there will be a great mixture of craftmanship and new techniques. That would be me ideal future. I love both.

How does your work compare to the other works in ‘Hybrid Skins’?

I think the common ground is that we all question the things the current system is doing. We like to look forward and fantasise.

What can we expect from you in the near future?

I will be working on shoe & bag designs, because that is what I love most, and see where it takes me.

Visit TETEM art space until November 24 to discover this and the other works of Hybrid Skins.