“What would happen if a rainbow became disorganized–would it fall from the sky? What if a rainbow misbehaved, causing its color spectrum to take on new order? Would it include black, as rainbows in comic books often do?” These are the questions artist Pae White wanted you to think about with this colorful, site-specific installation for the Art Institute of Chicago back in 2011. Drawing from her interests and knowledge in graphic design, textile and animation, she wrapped its terrace space – from the floors to the walls – in a bright rainbow of colors.
Called Restless Rainbow, the installation was meant to be an immersive experience. Rather than just being a lookout area to views of the Chicago skyline and Millennium Park or a place to display interesting sculptures, Restless Rainbow encouraged visitors to see how the space itself could come to life through a “riot of color and play.”
As she says, “I am not really interested in the blurring of boundaries; it’s really more that there is an art opportunity in all of these things. . . . In many ways it is about finding these hidden zones.”
Pae White at Art Institute of Chicago’s website
Photo credit: JR P or UGArdener on Flickr and Chicago Outdoor Sculptures