A striking architectural installation has transformed the landscape at one of the Netherlands' most celebrated music festivals. CURTAIN 01, designed by Dutch designer Johannes Offerhaus through his practice ZELT, now graces the Selectors Stage at Dekmantel Festival in Amsterdam's Amsterdamse Bos forest.

The installation takes the form of a suspended textile canopy that stretches elegantly above the DJ booths, serving both practical and aesthetic purposes. While its primary function is to provide rain protection for performers during the three-day festival, the structure creates a distinctive spatial atmosphere that bridges the natural forest setting, the audience, and the intense energy of live electronic music performances.

Offerhaus explains the evolution of his design concept: "The initial idea was to suspend it between two trees. As the design and forces grew, this became impossible. Now there are four steel poles hidden between the trees that keep the whole installation suspended. This allows me to keep the rest of the details very lightweight and simple."

The tensile structure, suspended between trees and supported by an intricate system of ropes, aluminum, and steel, has been described by lighting designer Zalán Szakács as resembling "some kind of intergalactic sailing ship." The curved white textile surfaces ripple gracefully in the breeze while catching dappled sunlight filtering through the forest canopy above.

"I always aim to make my installations visually interesting from all sides, even backstage," Offerhaus emphasizes. "In contrast to more traditional festival scenography, it doesn't just look good facing forward – and from the back you're not just looking at zip ties and stapled fabric. I aim to make sure the stage doesn't just have a face, but that it is a space."

The construction process reflects Offerhaus's background in fashion design. CURTAIN 01 is built entirely by hand from white textile through what he describes as a meditative process of draping and sewing. "Just like in a draping process where form-finding is done through the process of draping textile around a human body," he explains, "I start modeling and prototyping with textiles. Only my canvas is not the human body anymore, it's space."

The design specifically responds to the intimate character of the Selectors Stage, a beloved venue among festival-goers situated in a clearing surrounded by willow trees. "It's a very intimate stage with a lot of nice hazy sunlight moments," notes Offerhaus, who leads the team at ZELT. "The stage has a very clear identity that I could easily mess with too much."

The canopy system employs steel anchors and is held in position through a network of ropes and aluminum rods, allowing it to float above the heavy concrete stage element below. The fabric is shaped into a series of repeating curved forms, creating a rippling overhead surface that responds dynamically to light and wind conditions.

Offerhaus describes the technical evolution of his design: "While playing with the characteristics of curtains, this design evolved to three circular-shaped curtains hanging from the same points that are pushed into three different planes by aluminum tubing. These form the base for the last circle – the rainproof roof of the stage."

The use of a single color palette and consistent geometric patterns lends the structure a calming visual presence that contrasts beautifully with the surrounding motion and sound of the festival environment. The rhythmic repetition of the fabric's curves and seams creates what Offerhaus calls "a sense of spatial order. It brings order and makes your eye understand what's happening."

The project represents a significant scaling up of Offerhaus's textile work. "In the last three years, having worked on textile designs at small scale – attached to the body – I really felt the need to scale up," he explains. "I wanted my work to be very big – to offer a space for more than just one person."

This opportunity materialized through a collaboration with Dekmantel's Creative Director, Albert van Abbe, who invited Offerhaus to reimagine the scenography of the Selectors Stage. While van Abbe envisioned a prefabricated concrete DJ booth as a stable foundation for vinyl performances, Offerhaus contributed a lightweight, expressive textile canopy that hovers above. "The heavy concrete – a perfect anchor point – naturally invited in a lightweight (visually and literally) textile tensile piece," he adds.

The installation is complemented by Szakács's cinematic lighting design, which references 1970s science fiction film sets and iconic rock performances such as Pink Floyd's legendary Pompeii concert. The lighting scheme incorporates warm whites, amber tones, and soft blues that interact beautifully with the white fabric overhead, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

Every component of the structure is crafted in Offerhaus's Amsterdam Noord studio using industrial sail-making machines. "We machine sew everything – it gives us a really good understanding of the materials and its limitations," he highlights. The construction process requires meticulous planning and execution. "The design is very clear until you get all the fabric cut and have to assemble it. You quite easily get lost in between the heaps of fabric behind the sewing machine."

Offerhaus and his team follow a highly structured process to ensure precision, knowing they have only days before the festival opens to confirm whether the assembly works properly. The designer prefers to let his work speak for itself once it's installed and operational.

"I don't have to inform the spectator how to interpret the work and I don't have to present it to them. I can dissolve in the crowd," Offerhaus points out. "Obviously the moment the festival starts, my work merges together with that of others – light designers, sound engineers, DJs, performers – and so I become the spectator as well."

CURTAIN 01 follows earlier installations including GATEWAY at Down The Rabbit Hole festival and KOLOM 01, all part of Offerhaus's evolving exploration of spatial textiles – what he calls his "tent designs." This terminology reflects his philosophical approach to the work.

"By calling my installations tents I am forcing myself to slowly find a purpose and function for them," he comments. "Ultimately, it is a gateway for the terrain."

The project demonstrates how contemporary design can enhance festival experiences while respecting natural environments. By creating a structure that serves practical needs while adding artistic value, Offerhaus has shown how temporary installations can transform spaces and create memorable experiences for both performers and audiences in outdoor cultural settings.