--- title: "New exhibit at Haarlem’s 3D Print Gallery explores sustainability" url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/new-exhibit-at-haarlems-3d-print-gallery-explores-sustainability/ date: 2026-06-16 modified: 2026-06-16 lang: en author: "Tess Boissonneault" description: "Still within its first year of operation, the 3D Print Gallery in Haarlem is preparing to open its fourth exhibition, \"An Ocean of Possibilities for Sustainability\", this July. For this..." categories: - "Design" - "Furniture" - "Lighting" - "Sustainability" tags: - "future" image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-1-640x382.jpg word_count: 727 --- # New exhibit at Haarlem’s 3D Print Gallery explores sustainability Still within its first year of operation, the 3D Print Gallery in Haarlem is preparing to open its fourth exhibition, "An Ocean of Possibilities for Sustainability", this July. For this exhibition, the Dutch gallery, whose mandate is to showcase innovative designers working with 3D printing, will present the works of four designers who have made [sustainability](https://www.voxelmatters.com/category/environment/) a key part of their process and output. As the show name suggests, many of the works also weave in an oceanic theme in some way. [![New exhibit at Haarlem](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-3-340x244.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-3.jpg)Heliodiscus by Lilian van Daal The new exhibition opens on July 1 and will run for three months at the 3D Print Gallery's space in De Koepel—a historical panopticon prison that has been converted into a multi-use space. There, visitors will be able to see a variety of 3D printed pieces, including large-scale furniture pieces, unique lighting, and 3D printed ceramic cladding. What all these 3D prints have in common is a commitment to sustainability, whether through the use of reclaimed and recycled materials, circular biomaterials, or bio-inspired design. Among the pieces to be showcased is Heliodiscus, a modular light sculpture designed by Lilian van Daal. For this piece, the Dutch product designer was inspired by radiolaria, which are microscopic sea organisms known for their complex mineral skeletons. Like these organisms, the 3D printed Heliodiscus light fixtures appear glass-like and each bear complex, organic geometries. The light sculptures, first created in 2023, are 3D printed using a transparent resin, resulting in a soft, diffused light. [![New exhibit at Haarlem](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-2-333x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-2.jpg)Nori Chair by Mikkel Huse Another of the pieces to be exhibited is the Nori Chair created by Danish designer Mikkel Huse. This 3D printed chair, modeled in virtual reality and brought to life using LFAM, is inspired by the movement of seaweed, which sways and ribbons in currents and tides. As the 3D Print Gallery says: "The form of the chair arises from its relationship with the forces around it: it bends, yields and responds, finding strength in its capacity to adapt. Although the chair is produced from a rigid material, it retains a sense of softness and movement." Huse is also known for other bio-inspired designs, including the Orchid Chair. In this project, the designer invites people to download the 3D model of the chair and reproduce it using 3D printing, drawing a parallel with how orchids are cloned. [![New exhibit at Haarlem](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-4-287x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-4.jpg)Hive Wall Lamp by Stijn van Aardenne The work of Dutch designer Stijn van Aardenne will also be on show as part of "An Ocean of Possibilities for Sustainability" exhibit. Specifically his Hive Wall Lamp, which is made from recycled PETG using an innovative rotating 3D printing approach developed by the designer. While most 3D prints are built using horizontal layers, the rotating 3D printer has enabled the unique wall lamp to be made in such a way that the printed layers follow the geometry of the object. As the 3D Print Gallery writes, "The innovative process creates a distinctive surface in which light, material and the traces of fabrication come together in a visual language that does not conceal the production technology but instead celebrates it." The fourth project highlighted in the upcoming exhibition is a series of 3D printed ceramic tiles made by IOUS Studio in collaboration with Barcelona-based [LAMÁQUINA](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/lamaquina/). IOUS Studio, a Dutch architecture and design studio, specializes in using computational design and digital fabrication to generate unique 3D printed cladding. The tiles themselves are made from a natural ceramic, but IOUS Studio also works with other sustainable materials, including recyclable plastics and bio-integrative structures that encourage the growth of moss. Going with the ocean theme, the tiles integrate a continuous dynamic structure evocative of waves. [![New exhibit at Haarlem](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-5-340x202.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/haarlem-exhibition-5.jpg)3D printed ceramic tiles by IOUS Studio To see these four innovative and sustainably minded 3D printed designs in person, visit The 3D Print Gallery from July 1, 2026 at Cel 1, De Koepel. "What connects them is a shared approach: digital fabrication not only as a means of production, but as a design language in itself, and as a path towards a more circular way of making," the gallery says of the four designers. "By allowing material, process, and form to work together, these designers point towards a practice that is more responsive and inventive, and more closely connected to the natural world."