A curtain of aluminium

Have you seen it? With the new entrance gate Freeze Frame 82.2, you step into the fully renewed Design Museum Gent. This monumental curtain of 3D-printed aluminium is the result of a special commission by the museum, curator Siegrid Demyttenaere and sogent. The Antwerp-based duo Unfold allowed a digital simulation of a billowing curtain to ‘freeze’ precisely at frame 82.2 — the thrilling moment just before the grand opening.

For you, this sculpture forms a soft, almost transparent boundary. By day, it reveals glimpses of what is happening inside; by night, it veils the museum’s mystery. Freeze Frame 82.2 is more than an entrance gate: it symbolises our time of change. It invites you to pause for a moment on the threshold of our ‘more-than-museum’ — a place where design happens live and where, together, we search for answers to the questions of the future.

The work is a technical tour de force, realised using the latest 3D-printing techniques. A robotic arm built the curtain layer by layer from 250 kg of aluminium. This process was made possible through close collaboration with partners such as MX3D Art Lab (printing & assembly), Wuyts (installation), Alton (production advice), Denkbar (structural stability) and Dick Frères (transport). The architecture of our new wing, into which this gate integrates beautifully, was designed by Carmody Groarke, ATAMA and RE-ST Architectuur.

Until the reopening, you can already catch a glimpse of the gate; from 3 October 2026 onwards, it will shine in all its glory. This project was realised with the support of the Platform Kunst in Opdracht of the Flemish Government. We invite you: cross the threshold and discover what awaits you behind the curtain.