for Imabari, a city famous in Japan for its dye-
ing industry. The brief was to showcase the
techniques of eight dye factories, so I decided
to do something that would be impossible
otherwise – hence the 1,000 colours. It was
a big challenge. To select that many colours,
you need several thousand to choose from.
Because dyeing is like cookery, the installa-
tion takes the forms of symbols that refer to
the temperature, timing and percentage of
‘ingredients’.
Prior to this installation, my colour
limit was 100, as demonstrated by my 100
Colors series, which I began in 2013 to
celebrate my studio’s tenth anniversary. One
of my goals was to prove you can see 100
colours in a space. While it’s a large figure, it’s
also a familiar number, and the colours are
easy to distinguish. I’ve made many different
versions of 100 Colors in various countries.Does colour play an equally big role in your
home and wardrobe? Not really. My studio
is filled with colour, and I spend lots of time
there, so generally I wear either black or
white. My home is very neutral and simple,
but that’s partly because you’re not allowed
to paint rentals in Japan.Do you think you’re more colour-sensitive
than other people? Because of my work, I’m
always looking for new colours, but I don’tthink I see more colours than anyone else.
I’m just more attuned to them. I believe it’s a
universal ability and that almost anyone can
distinguish millions of colours.
What I find from talking to architects,
designers and students – because I also teach- is that people often say it’s too difficult to
use colour and that they’re not brave enough.
You need courage, so I teach my students not
to be afraid of colour.
Do you have a favourite colour? How can
I possibly choose? But if I have to, then it
would be white. That’s because whenever
I use whites, they make the other colours
appear even more beautiful. I’ve used black
only once, in Color of Time, but that installa-
tion was based on a special concept about the
colours of one day and night.Whose work inspires you? Tokyo is my main
inspiration, but there’s one person, too: Issey
Miyake. I love his concepts and the way he
treats clothes like architecture or products in
such a three-dimensional way. I’ve worked
with him twice on installations, and I loved it.Where do you want to take your work next?
I’d like to continue working on lots of dif-
ferent scales. In particular, I want to do a 100
Colors building. ●
emmanuellemoureaux.comColor of Time (2017-2018), another 100 Colors
project, was Moureaux’s first – and potentially
only – installation to incorporate black.
ONE ARTIST, ONE MATERIAL 67