emmanuelle moureaux's '100 colors no. 37' hovers in oslo public library

a blur of shifting color

A new installation by Emmanuelle Moureaux, dubbed ‘100 colors no.37,’ is suspended among the atrium of the iconic Oslo Public Library ‘Deichman Bjørvika’ (see designboom’s coverage here), which had opened in 2020, with a architecture by Norwegian firms Atelier Oslo and Lundhagem. The installation is composed of ten thousand alphabet letters — from A to Z, including Norwegian special letters — in one hundred shades of colors.

Each piece is positioned at random and is aligned along a three dimensional grid, taking shape as an abstract representation of a book floating in the space. The colorful letters have each been meticulously cut, and are together illuminated by the natural sunlight which floods the space, creating infinite expressions which shift with the viewer’s perspective.

image © Øystein Thorvaldsen

emmanuelle moureaux takes to oslo

Hovering within the lofty atrium between the third and fifth floor, Emmanuelle Moureaux’s ‘100 colors no.37′ makes its presence known across each level of the library. The collection of letters and their one hundred colors are crafted together with subtly shifting tones, intended to be enjoyed as if the viewer were reading a book line by line. The artist, who has lived in tokyo for nearly thirty years, notes: ‘Walking around the multicolored cloud of letters is both a magic and amazing feeling. Two girls and a cat got lost in the letters, adding playfulness to the installation.’

the thirty-seventh iteration of the ‘100 colors’ series

The project marks the latest edition of Emmanuelle Moureaux’s larger ‘100 colors’ installation series. The endeavor began in 2013, and now includes thirty-seven unique works which create ethereal space through the use of one hundred shades of colors. 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.

Emmanuelle Moureaux illustrates the early influences of the installation series: ‘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, 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.’