Wu Wei

My thesis project began with the study and exploration of the physics and application of colour, of its structure, its manifestation both in nature and and the human and industrial use.

In the animal, vegetable and mineral worlds, colour is not only produced by pigments but also by the nanometric structure of their tissues. The incomparable characteristics of structural colour are its ability to produce the most vivid colours that exist in nature and to appear mutable in regard to the observer’s point of view and the direction of interference with light itself.

Taking inspiration from nature, I wanted to explore this mutability related to the appearance of colour in relation to the perspective of the beholder and in reaction to external stimuli such as light and air.

My investigation led me to the creation of Wu Wei, a module that experiments with the visual mutability of colour applied to wind-induced dynamics. Wu Wei is designed to be installed and adapted to specific locations where the stimuli of air currents are significantly affecting the sensations and livability of the individuals within.

The areas chosen for the application of the module are some of the underground stations of the Vienna Metro. In these places, located far from the outside world, under our streets, where chaos and silence coexist, I wanted to intervene to bring the individual back to a more natural contact and active communication with the surrounding space, thanks to the specific combination of colour as structure, material and form that is able to change according to external agents, in this case the air and its intensity.