Paola Zamudio of npz studio+ set out to elevate the arts in celebration of the iconic Bell Works and to honor the building’s legacy of innovation. As lead designer and creative director for Bell Works, she invited New York–based artist Sebastien Courty to collaborate on the project.
Bell Works is a reimagining of the former Bell Labs facility in Holmdel, New Jersey. Once an “innovation headquarters” that employed some 6,000 people between 1962 and 2007, the 2-million-square-foot building has been transformed into a unique destination for business and culture. Today Bell Works hosts a diverse ecosystem of technology firms, offices, retail, dining, hospitality and art, while preserving the site’s history as a center for research and invention.
© Offbeet Productions and Sebastien Courty
Zamudio and Courty were commissioned by Ralph Zucker, the developer responsible for converting the former Bell Labs into Bell Works, to create The Fabric of Bell, a subcollection within the in-house Totem, A Wall’s Jewelry collection. The project pays tribute to the site’s scientific achievements and architectural heritage while presenting a contemporary artistic vision.
Inspired by the building’s origins as a research facility that contributed to multiple Nobel-winning breakthroughs, The Fabric of Bell also honors Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American architect who designed the original structure in 1958. Saarinen’s sweeping forms and modernist sensibility helped shape the project’s aesthetic direction.
© Offbeet Productions and Sebastien Courty
“From the moment I stepped into Bell Works, I knew I had to find a way to celebrate the history of it,” Zamudio said. “Working with Sebastien Courty on The Fabric of Bell allowed me to express my retro-futuristic design philosophy. Together we honor Bell Laboratories’ past while looking to its future. Inspired by the Bauhaus movement and Saarinen’s architecture, Sebastien used fibers, cables and artifacts from Bell Labs to create the artwork.”
The collection is installed in the building’s central atrium, a well-trafficked gathering space open to tenants and the public. Composed of roughly 95 percent recycled cables sourced from the original Bell Labs, the pieces underscore Bell Works’ commitment to sustainability and thoughtful reuse.
© Offbeet Productions and Sebastien Courty
The materials range from thick copper to heavy aluminum cables in various widths and vivid colors—yellow, red, orange, blue, green, purple and brown—creating a dynamic visual language. The cables were cut down, repurposed and split into finer yarns, then handwoven on a 36-inch floor loom into separate panels before being stretched onto eight wooden boards.
Each panel is sealed with a clear crystal resin to protect the surface permanently. The resulting works evoke the complex, interconnected systems of technology and communication that have been central to the building’s history. The design draws from the site’s role as a hub for scientific experimentation, Saarinen’s architectural forms, and the functional aesthetics of the Bauhaus movement.
© Offbeet Productions and Sebastien Courty
Bell Works is open to the public daily at no charge, from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, at 101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, New Jersey. The Fabric of Bell offers visitors a tactile, visually striking reminder of the building’s inventive past and its ongoing cultural and commercial life.