emmanuelle moureaux creates a colorful 'universe of words' for installation in tokyo

to celebrate 100 years of the japanese soft drink calpis, emmanuelle moureaux presents a new installation titled ‘universe of words’. forming part of the ‘calpis 100th year anniversary, let’s meet at tanabata’ exhibition, the work immerses visitors in colored pieces of paper suspended from the ceiling. as the latest in moureaux’s ‘100 colors’ series, the work uses the full spectrum to compose intimate and thoughtful spaces. 

all images © daisuke shima

unveiled on july 4th, 2019, the installation coincides with the japanese star festival, tanabata. in japan, tanabata day marks a tradition when people write their hopes and dreams on colored pieces of paper and hang them from a bamboo branch in the hope that their wishes will come true. moureaux‘s installation reinterprets this event by floating words throughout the gallery space, in an effort to evoke visitors’ curiosity and emotion.

the installation is composed from approximately 140,000 hiraganas, which is the simplest written alphabet in japanese, made up of 46 different characters. the swaying pieces are regularly aligned in three dimensional grids and invite people to wander through the paths that have been cut through the colorful installation.

the universe created by these floating hiraganas evokes an emotion through its stillness and its endlessness. in essence, the swaying characters symbolize the wishful colored pieces of paper swaying from the bamboo branch, harking back to the great japanese tradition of tanabata day.

project info:

installation name: ‘universe of words’

design: emmanuelle moureaux

materials: paper, thread

exhibition: ‘calpis 100th year anniversary, let’s meet at tanabata’ 

location: 3331 arts chiyoda (tokyo) / main gallery

date: july 4 (thu) – 7 (sun), 2019

photography: daisuke shima