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Arts Design

RAINBOW COLOR BECOMES FORM & SPACE

“Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.
Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.

EMMANUELLE MOUREAUX

Color becomes form in Emmanuelle Moureaux’s 3D rainbow art installations. The French architect creates spectral works of art that fill rooms with thousands of 2D multicolored forms suspended in mid-air.

“Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.
Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.

Forest of Numbers, Moureaux’s latest work, was commissioned by The National Art Center of Tokyo to hang in its 6,500 square foot exhibition space, in celebration of its 10th anniversary.

“Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.
Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.

The work is made up of more than 60,000 multi-colored numbers arranged in three dimensional grids.

“Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.
Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.

It is composed of 10 layers, each to represent the next 10 years.  Each layer employs 4 digits to express the relevant year such as 2, 0, 1, and 7 for 2017, which have been randomly positioned on the grids.

Image Forest of Numbers by Emmanuelle Moureaux Courtesy of The National Art Center Tokyo Japan.
Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.

Inside the colorful forest, two girls and one cat were lost inside, added playfulness to the installation.

“Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.
Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.

The numbers are also divided into 100 shades echoing Moureaux’s 100 Colors installation series, which has been on exhibition in a number of spaces around the world since 2013.

“Color MIxing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of NSK Ltd.
Image: “Color Mixing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux.  Courtesy of NSK Ltd. 

The city of Tokyo is what originally inspired Moureaux’s artistic obsession with color. She has lived and worked there since 1996.

“Color MIxing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of NSK Ltd.
Image: “Color Mixing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux.  Courtesy of NSK Ltd. 

Tokyo’s multiple layers of vivid color and high density influence Moureaux’s designs. She adapted the concepts behind of Japanese traditional spatial elements, like sliding screens, to create the concept of shikiri, which means "dividing (creating) space with colors". 

Moureaux, in essence, composes space with color.

“Color MIxing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of NSK Ltd.
Image: “Color Mixing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux.  Courtesy of NSK Ltd. 

Moureaux’s “Sense of Motion” is an installation that focuses on mixing color, was commissioned by Japanese ball bearings manufacturer NSK to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

“Color MIxing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of NSK Ltd.
Image: “Color Mixing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux.  Courtesy of NSK Ltd. 

Over 25,000 flower shapes, in 100 shades of color, dangle through the air. They are aligned in 3D grids, attached to the vertical axes, which rotate, aided by the NSK bearings, attached to windmills at the top.

“Color MIxing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of NSK Ltd.
Image: “Color Mixing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of NSK Ltd. 

The “wind” comes from the circulators run which are randomly programmed. You can walk through it and immerse in a magical rainbow world. Check out thevideo.

“Color MIxing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of NSK Ltd.
Image: “The Circular Line," by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Taipei (Taiwan).

The government of Taiwan commissioned Moureaux to add her color to the Mass Rapid Transit "Circular Line." She worked on the color scheme of 14 km section.

“Dance,” for Furla, by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of Furla.
Image: “Dance,” for Furla, by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of Furla.

Moureaux has also created rainbow installations for UNIQLO, Furla, and Issey Miyake.

“Color MIxing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of NSK Ltd.
Image: “Color Mixing,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux.  Courtesy of NSK Ltd. 

Read more about Rainbows all this week on BeautifulNow, And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.
Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.

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: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.
Image: “Forest of Numbers,” by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Courtesy of The National Art Center. Tokyo, Japan.
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