A Rainbow Made of Thread Is Blowing Minds at the Smithsonian
Our pal ROY G BIV is making an appearance at the Smithsonian, and it’s totally feeding our rainbow obsession well into winter. Artist Gabriel Dawe has turned 60 miles (!) of colored thread into the optical illusion of an actual rainbow, and it is truly stunning. Part of the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery’s “WONDER” Exhibit just blocks from the White House in Washington DC, “Plexus A1” is part of Dawe’s ongoing “Plexus” series. (“Plexus” refers to the web of nerves and vessels that reach throughout the body.)
All of Dawe’s Plexus works use colored thread, but Plexus A1 is both the biggest AND the only one that represents the full spectrum of natural light. The repetition of threads strung from floor to ceiling combines with subtle color gradation to make the rainbow magic happen.
In an interview about the installation, Dawe told Inhabitat: “The fineness of the thread makes these installations ethereal, almost immaterial, yet not, almost disappearing to the eye and leaving a color haze behind. This color mist alludes to a symbolic quest to materialize light, to give it density, so that I can offer the viewer an approximation of things otherwise inaccessible to us — a glimmer of hope that brings us closer to the transcendent, to show that there can be beauty in this messed up world we live in. Light is composed of the different colors of the spectrum. Here, it also comes to symbolize unity and wholeness.”
The exhibition runs until July 2016, so be sure to check it out if you find yourself in DC. If you’re feeling REALLY creative, we’re thinking you could DIY a version of this (or something like it) yourself…
We want to see your colorful projects! Tag us on Instagram + using hashtag #iamcreative!
(Photos via @SaatchiArt + @OwnThePresent)
