Softlab: Chromatex.me

Filling A Small Part Of The World With Colour

On display at the bridgegallery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side is this colourful laser-cut spectacle conceived and constructed by Softlab. Uniquely shaped panels form a meandering series of tunnels, and it is all held together by everyday bulldog clips.

Not only uniquely shaped; each panel is also printed with its own subtle hue, and the resulting gradation of tone through the tunnels gives this project its name: Chromatex.me

For a month we will fill a small part of the world with one of our favorite things: COLOR!

This installation was able to be produced thanks to a donation program through kickstarter. According to how much people donated to the project, they would have their names or a message laser-etched onto the back of one of the 4,600+ unique panels. Once the exhibition is over, the personalised keepsake will be shipped to the donor’s home.

You can read all about this process as well as see a few pictures of the panels being produced and assembled at an earlier article on Designboom.

All images courtesy of Softlab. Photos by Andrew Manart.

It certainly is quite a mammoth undertaking… but if you head to the Softlab website and have a look at some of their other stuff (there’s a whole lot more laser cutting) it is clear that these guys are no strangers to handling fiddly details. Personally, I’d like to see what would happen if the Softlab team and MWM were locked in the same room for a while. Talk about colourful spectacles!

If you’re in New York, you can see the Chromatex.me installation for yourself at bridgegallery – it will be on display for a month from August 26.

Thanks to Designboom via Makedo