With the Parallax series, Marleen Kaptein transforms carbon fibre—an advanced composite material more commonly associated with aerospace engineering, architecture and high-performance technology—into objects of remarkable elegance and sensitivity. Working at the intersection of art, design and innovation, she demonstrates how an industrial material can be imbued with a distinctly poetic presence.
Despite its exceptional structural strength, carbon fibre allows Kaptein to create forms that appear almost impossibly light. The delicate woven surfaces seem to float effortlessly in space, gently defining the surrounding architecture without interrupting it. Rather than occupying a room as a solid volume, Parallax VIII creates an atmosphere—its transparency allowing light, air and space to remain active elements of the work itself.
The title Parallax refers to the phenomenon in which an object appears to shift when viewed from different positions. This constant change in perception lies at the heart of the series. As the integrated LED illumination interacts with the woven carbon fibre, subtle variations in light, shadow and transparency emerge, ensuring that no single viewpoint fully captures the work. The sculpture continually changes in response to both its environment and the movement of the viewer.

Kaptein's practice is distinguished by the way it reconciles apparent opposites. Precision engineering meets organic form; advanced technology acquires the softness of natural structures; functional lighting becomes sculptural presence. Echoing seed pods, leaves or flowing botanical forms, her works possess an unmistakably biomorphic quality while remaining rooted in contemporary material research and craftsmanship.
Her work has been acquired by the collections of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the TextielMuseum Tilburg, and the Vitra Design Museum, reflecting the growing international recognition of her contribution to contemporary collectible design.

Presented at PAN Amsterdam, Parallax VIII exemplifies a new generation of Dutch designers for whom material innovation serves not as an end in itself, but as a means of creating objects that are simultaneously technologically ambitious, emotionally resonant and quietly architectural.