sabine marcelis rearranges the VITRA archive by color

COLOR RUSH EXHIBITION BY SABINE MARCELIS AT THE VITRA SCHAUDEPOT

Back in 2016, the VITRA Design Museum unveiled the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Schaudepot. The striking brick structure was built to provide the institution with a venue for publicly presenting key objects from its extensive collection.

On display from May 2022 to May 2023, this year’s annual presentation sees Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis sort VITRA’s four hundred exhibits by color, resulting in a rainbow arrangement of products that create a dialogue between different periods and styles, while providing an overwhelming immersive experience.

images © Vitra Design Museum / Mark Niedermann

THE PRODUCTS FORM A RAINBOW GRADIENT

‘Our world is full of color,’ comments the official release. ‘Its various shades unleash emotions, assist orientation, indicate functions or perils, and mark cultural, political, professional, or religious identities. Although each of us perceives colors in their own way, all times and cultures have symbols and traditions distinguished by specific hues. This is one reason why colors play a central role in the design of interiors, fashions, and public spaces. But the colors we choose for our clothes and homes also reveal personal predilections and contemporary trends.’

Titled Color Rush, the exhibition designed by Sabine Marcelis at the VITRA Schaudepot is an homage to the role of color in design across all periods and styles. Once immersed inside the brightly-lit space, visitors discover contrasts, tonalities, and intensities, while understanding the added effect of material and surface. The show is an example of why choosing color is such an important part of home and furniture design.

For example, natural colors are used in cozy atmospheres while bright hues are intended for unconventional attitudes. On the other hand, the lack of a color treatment may express a minimalist or purist philosophy.

With the exhibition, Marcelis continues with the color passion many creatives have had in the past. From Le Corbusier’s palette of carefully branded shades, to Panton’s vivid hippie colors, all the way to Hella Jongerious who states she doesn’t have a favorite color.

The examination of color is central to the work of Sabine Marcelis, who has built a personal style around shiny surfaces, pastel color gradients and refractions. For Color Rush, she teamed with the collection curators to select nearly four hundred objects representing different color groups. The resulting color gradients create an immersive experience that results in a majestic understanding of the museum’s collection and the colorful history of modern design.