CHROMAtex is a site specific installation designed and produced by SOFTlab for the bridgegallery. The installation was designed to produce a complex environmental and spatial combination of six colors. The color is mixed within the form leaving a vibrant interior that is back lit by the gallery. Rather than creating a finished façade or skin that hides the method of construction, we chose to invert this relationship— the interior of photo glossy inkjet-printed paper appears very precise, finished, and smooth, while the exterior is roughly textured with an array of binder clips holding the panels together. The first thing a viewer sees is the method of fabrication. As a viewer moves around the piece, she discovers the finished effects produced by the construction. The interior is experienced through a series of portals designed to offer a specific glimpse into the piece starting from the front of the gallery. The installation not only responds to the protected interior of the gallery, but also to the busy street as it draws visitors in. The largest portal into the piece is attached to the front window of the gallery completely obscuring the interior. After viewing the colored interior through the main window, viewers enter the gallery to see an unexpectedly all-white exterior textured in thousands of binder clips. This contrast between interior and exterior makes the portals into the piece so sensational.

The installation is made of over 4000 laser cut panels of photo ink jet paper. Each panel is a unique shape and printed with a custom color. The panels are connected using a set of over 17,000 binder clips. The shape is reinforced using a series of custom acrylic rings. The overall form is hung from the ceiling of the gallery and attached to street facing window, completely suspended in the space without touching the ground.

Photos: Alan Tansey

Find out more about the process:
Form Finding
Color Mapping
Quad Panels
Photos of the installation