“Operation Imagination”

Every color visible to the human eye has a wavelength, except for one: magenta.

The colors of the rainbow commonly represented in the abbreviation, ROYGBIV, carry a wavelength between 400-700 nanometers, which comprise what is known as the visible spectrum of light. Peculiarly, magenta is the only color we can see that does not have a wavelength. Our brains mysteriously conjure up the perception of magenta when the short and long cones of the optic cells in our eyes receive wavelength signals of pure red and pure blue.

Inspired by this phenomenon, I’ve created stop-motion animations dispersing thousands of pixels of magenta in continuous motion, disappearing and appearing sporadically. Normally, when you are looking at someone else’s artwork, you are entering their imaginative world. With the added context here, you are also experiencing your own imagination operating automatically, separate from the work in front of you.

Made possible with support from:
Jack DiLaura
Gray Area
Touch Designer