Zelt Studio’s Textile Canopy Transforms Dekmantel Festival’s Selectors Stage into a Floating Architectural Oasis

As the 2025 edition of Dekmantel Festival unfolds in the lush Amsterdamse Bos, Netherlands, an arresting architectural intervention Curtain 01 by Dutch designer Johannes Brodhaus of Zelt Studio redefines the relationship between music, nature, and spatial design. Suspended above the festival’s beloved Selectors Stage, this lightweight textile canopy merges haute-couture craftsmanship with structural ingenuity, offering rain protection for DJs while crafting an immersive sonic and visual environment.

A Dialogue Between Nature and Design

Brodhaus’s initial vision a fabric veil strung between two trees evolved into a steel-anchored tensile structure supported by four discreet columns, allowing the undulating white fabric to float above the concrete DJ booth. “The goal was to keep it lightweight and simple,” Brodhaus explains. The result is a kinetic sculpture that sways with the wind, filtering dappled sunlight through its curved seams. Inspired by sailmaking and spatial garment construction, the installation’s hand-stitched fabric panels reflect Brodhaus’s fashion background, now scaled to architectural proportions: “My canvas is no longer the human body it’s space itself.”

Light, Sound, and Sci-Fi Sensibilities

Collaborating with lighting designer Zalán Szakács, Brodhaus infused the stage with a cinematic glow reminiscent of 1970s sci-fi films and iconic performances like Pink Floyd’s Pompeii. Warm ambers and soft blues interact with the fabric, transforming the forest clearing into what Szakács calls “an intergalactic sailboat.” The design avoids a traditional “front-facing” aesthetic, ensuring visual intrigue from every angle even backstage, where intricate zip ties and fabric folds become part of the experience.

Precision in Impermanence

Fabricated in Zelt Studio’s Amsterdam Noord workshop using industrial sailmaking techniques, every component was sewn and assembled by hand. “We embrace the material’s constraints,” Brodhaus notes. The team worked against the clock to install the structure days before the festival, testing its resilience to wind and rain. Unlike typical festival scenography, Curtain 01 prioritizes temporal beauty its rippling surfaces and rhythmic folds create a sense of order amid the chaos of the event.

Beyond Shelter: A “Tent Design” Philosophy

Brodhaus frames his practice as “tent design”—a bridge between textiles and architecture. Past works like Gateway (Down the Rabbit Hole Festival) and Kolom 01 explore this ethos, but Curtain 01 marks his most ambitious scaling of fabric. Commissioned by Dekmantel’s creative director Albert van Abbe, the project contrasts the stage’s heavy concrete base with the canopy’s ethereal quality. “The concrete anchors the textile, both physically and metaphorically,” Brodhaus reflects.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

Johannes Brodhaus’s Curtain 01 masterfully blurs the lines between fashion, architecture, and festival culture, creating a sensory haven within Amsterdamse Bos. The tensile fabric structure excels as both functional shelter and artistic statement, its organic forms harmonizing with the forest while defying traditional stage design. However, the project’s reliance on natural elements like wind for kinetic effects raises questions about reproducibility in controlled environments. Despite this, Brodhaus’s commitment to handcrafted, large-scale textiles marks a thrilling evolution in spatial design, proving that temporary installations can leave lasting impressions.

Brought to you by the ArchUp Editorial Team

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