SCREEN TIME
Google’s interactive exhibition for Milan Design Week highlights how colour influences our perception of the world
There’s no denying that colour informs how we understand our surroundings. It can evoke emotion and, according to Google Design Studio, it can also be expressed through sound, taste, smell and touch, as much as visual perception. The studio is mounting its third interactive Milan Design Week exhibition, ‘Making Sense of Color’, in collaboration with the La-based art and research lab Chromasonic. The installation activates all the senses as visitors move through 21 ethereal spaces, eventually reaching a series of rooms that more tangibly demonstrate how certain tones relate to specific sensations and are harnessed in the brand’s ever-evolving suite of products – phones, tablets and smart home devices.
‘Colour resonates with vibrancy, embodying energy,’ says Ivy Ross, vice president of hardware product design at Google. ‘Colour has both biological and psychological influence on us. Right now, we are going through a lot of emotion as a society, so understanding the power of these natural forces, and its different properties, seems as relevant as ever.’
Chromasonic has created well-received immersive light and sound installations – such as Satellite One in Venice, California – with the aim of promoting wellbeing. Ross and her team chose to collaborate with the practice because of its ability to make colour more experiential and physically engaging.
The art and research lab has implemented its proprietary Chromasonic Refrequencing technology. ‘Light waves are converted to sound waves, and sound waves are converted into light waves, in real time; in essence, making light audible and sound visible,’ says practice co-founder Harriet Girardoni. ‘Light and sound travel as one, and it accentuates our awareness of our presence within it and of others as they pass through, appearing and dissolving within and between the array of the installation’s spaces.’
By merging the immateriality of light with the materiality of sound, this formula expands natural perception. Visitors can experience a deeper sense of presence within the synaesthetic environment. ‘Colour can evoke memory, inspire desire, and captivate us with a feeling of awe,’ adds fellow cofounder Johannes Girardoni. ‘We spatialise colour and sound to create shifting experiences of physical space. It is a means of intentional placemaking.’
For many design industry visitors making their way around an ever-exhausting Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile, the Google installation offers rest, relaxation and contemplation. ‘We do believe this year’s exhibit will provide guests with the kind of respite that leaves them feeling refreshed and revitalised,’ says Ross. ‘We started using Salone to share our thought leadership in design and what inspires us. We love to create experiences that are presented to the design professional and the general public.’ * ‘Making Sense of Color’ is on show from
15-21 April at Garage 21, Via Archimede 26, Milan, store.google.com, chromasonic.com