Spectrum

Leaning on fundamental design concepts such as color and scale, Spectrum held this tension between a stark concrete space and bright, awe-inspiring installations.

"Spectrum held this tension between a stark concrete space and bright, awe-inspiring installations."

The exhibition was held in the floor-level atrium of the Wieden+Kennedy HQ in downtown Portland. The building itself is an architectural wonder — visioned by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works — with soaring ceilings and vast expanses of smooth concrete cleaved by massive timber beams.

"It was the perfect blank slate from which to hold an experiment on the effects of color."

The brutalist context, devoid of color and life provided a void, cold backdrop to the show. It was the perfect blank slate from which to hold an experiment on the effects of color, for both subject and viewer.

In the show itself, sprawling swathes of colored gradients cascaded from the high atrium walls in rows. In approaching the ground, the ribbons folded themselves out and sharply down, as if flowing over an acute ledge where the trees sat. Each installation embodied a unique aspect of color theory — with either analogous or complementary relationships between the backdrop and the characteristics of the tree. Some were stimulating — high contrast and attention-grabbing — and others more subtle, displaying a quiet dignity.

All living creatures are biologically wired to react to color. With this exhibition, the loud, expressive compositions drew viewers in the most. In a world constantly vying for your attention, the beauty in subtle harmony can be easily overshadowed.

This exhibition needed an open, minimalist edifice of a gallery to gain the full effect of the displays. Stepping into the atrium off the busy Pearl District immediately causes you to look outward, upward, interrupting the focused urban trudge and giving space to feel the profound interactions at play.

"This exhibition illustrated once again how trees and color breath warmth into modern spaces."

The attendees were as much a part of the show as the trees and the massive refurbished warehouse in which it was held. What seemed like a familiar multi-week exhibit was actually an ongoing performance, a fleeting observation of the effects of life and color in an austere context.

The purpose of Spectrum was to tease out these subtle relationships, between person and tree, tree and color, color and person, held in the palm of a bespoke contemporary structure.

This exhibition exposed numerous ways to consider bonsai, refracted through the lenses of architecture, fine art, and an urban ambiance. It illustrated once again how trees and color breath warmth into modern spaces, kindling an inherent connection to life that all art attempts to channel.

Credits: Venue - Wieden + Kennedy Portland, Photography - Arthur Hitchcock, Cinematography - Ryan Bush