June 2022 - May 2023
Oslo Public Library
Deichman Bjørvika
Oslo (Norway)
“100 colors” installation for the iconic Oslo Public Library ‘Deichman Bjørvika’.
Composed of 10,000 alphabet letters (from a to z, and norwegian special letters) in 100 shades of colors, randomly positioned and regularly aligned on a three dimensional grid, the installation is an abstract representation of a book floating in the space. Suspended in the void between the 3rd and 5th floor of the library, the multicolored cloud of cut out letters is illuminated with the beautiful Norwegian natural lights, creating infinite expressions.
photo : Øystein Thorvaldsen
About the "100 colors" series
"100 colors" is an installation series began in 2013, which forms space using 100 shades of colors. Emmanuelle wishes to give emotions through colors as she felt from seeing overflowing "colors" in Tokyo when she first visited in 1995. She also wishes to give opportunities for people to see, touch and feel colors with their senses to become more conscious of colors that exist around them.
In "100 colors", Colors are explored in various forms depending on the environment, to maximize the beauty of colors. 100 colors entering the body with a glance triggers a physical response to engage with the sensation of colors. The installation series will continue to travel around the world.
"When I first arrived in Tokyo, I was fully fascinated by the colors overflowing on the street.
In that very moment, my mind decided to move to Japan. Overwhelming number of store signs, flying electrical cables, and flashes of blue sky framed by various volumes of buildings, created three dimensional 'layers' in the city.
The flood of various colors pervaded the street built up a complex depth and intensity in the space. These indelible experiences of colors and layers in Tokyo were the inspiration and essence of my design concept of shikiri, which means dividing (creating) space with colors. Valuing the emotion inspired from Tokyo, in the 10th anniversary year of my studio, I want to show the beauty of colors to the fullest extent.
I also wish to share the feeling of being surrounded by overflowing colors by exhibiting 100 colors, here in the middle of Tokyo.
Please come and find your favorite color. "
emmanuelle moureaux (September, 2013)