Etherial structures look like frozen rays of light

Using 60 miles of thread!

Jul 03, 2022

Dawe says he loved having to work with the Renwick building’s 19th-century architectural details as a backdrop. Ron Blunt/ Renwick Gallery/ SAAM

Gabriel Dawe’s indoor rainbows almost defy understanding. It is a visual representation of the full spectrum of natural light, a harnessing of a prismatic view of sunshine that has been confined within the four walls of a gallery space.

Up close, the artist’s tricks are revealed. The artwork is made of ordinary embroidery thread that has been hooked from floor to ceiling in a repeating overlay. Crafting an ethereal and shimmery pattern that, like a mirage, creates an optical illusion that delights the senses but distorts perceptions, it is almost as if the artist embroidered the air. (Smithsonian)

See

Each of his installations are custom designed for the specific constraints of the gallery.

Plexus A1 view 2

Plexus 23

Plexus 19

Plexus 28

Plexus 27

Plexus 9

Plexus 35

Say

“When you see a rainbow in nature you get a glimpse of the order that exists behind nature,” says Dawe. “There are certain laws of physics working behind that.”

Name some other examples of order in nature.
Dawe speaks of his work as architectural. Which of the works above most feels architectural to you?
Imagine being in the room with these indoor rainbows. How might it feel compared to looking at images?
Why do you think rainbows draw such a strong response from people?

Do

Create an indoor rainbow using string, paint, crystal or window marker.
Watch this interview with Dawes to learn about his process.

About Gabriel Dawe

Gabriel Dawe, b. 1973, is a Mexican-born artist living in Dallas, Texas, whose work is based on investigations of the visible spectrum of light. He has gained renown for his large-scale Plexus series of installations of sewing thread, though he also creates works on paper as well as other media.