Post by T.VDB BV ( Tom Van der Borght )

BEYOND THE BODY What is normal? Three years ago, this question marked the beginning of a collaboration between Tom Van der Borght and Hans Boodt Mannequins that would evolve into BEYOND THE BODY. A research project at the intersection of fashion, art, and academia, BEYOND THE BODY explores normativity through seven mannequins that challenge conventional standards of the body, identity, and representation. Because the people who shape our future are not defined by a single body, identity, or way of being. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push humanity forward. Rather than striving for neutrality, the project questions what inclusion really means. People are not neutral. Bodies are not neutral. Identity is not neutral. Instead of creating something inclusive within existing frameworks, BEYOND THE BODY embraces the non-normative and invites us to rethink the frameworks themselves. In this interview, Tom Van der Borght and Marco Ouwerkerk (Hans Boodt Mannequins) discuss the origins of the project, the ideas behind it, and the conversations it hopes to inspire. Watch the full interview below.

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