When it comes to your travel bucket list, Tokyo should be way up there. For architect Emmanuelle Moureaux, Tokyo stands out, first and foremost, for its dramatic use of color. Born in 1971, France, Moureaux remembers falling in love with Tokyo’s colors when she first arrived there, as a young architectural student. What began as a week-long trip, ended up being the catalyzer to a successful career as an architect and artist.
“When I was in France, I was not conscious at all about color,” admitted Moureaux in an interview with Design Boom. “Tokyo gave me this passion. I think in Europe, and in Japan too, in the field of architecture or interior design, color is often considered as a minor element, like a finishing touch. Usually, architects decide colors at the end of the design process. for example, when the space is created they have to choose the colors of the walls and floor, so it is like a finish.”
Instead of treating color as a finishing touch, Moureaux puts it at the forefront, using it as a tool to divide space. She terms her technique “shikiri,” a japanese word which means partition or screen. “‘Shikiri’ is japanese word which means partition or screen,” says Moureaux. “For example, it is used to define the traditional Japanese sliding paper screen. I was very interested in the traditional shikiri partition, because it is a very beautiful element in Japanese architecture.”
Her representative works include the architectural design for Sugamo Shinkin Bank, “100 colors” art installation series, space design for ABC Cooking Studio, art installations for UNIQLO and ISSEY MIYAKE, and stick chair. But you can also follow her work on Instagram. If you’re thinking of visiting Tokyo (when traveling is permitted, that is), Moureaux’s installations provide a colorful reference point.