Mark Rothko
Product:
Mark Rothko (1903-1970) is an acknowledged artist from the States. His most prominent paintings are characterized by compositions of rectangular shapes, or “bands”, and strong colors. In the former years of Rothko’s life, in the 1940s, he was inspired by the European Surrealism and incorporated surrealistic creatures in his work, often with links to the deep sea. These works are, unlike his well-known colorful oil paintings, of watercolor and a palette dominated by brown, blue and subtle yellow color tones.
From May to September 2024, a collection of Rothko’s works are exhibited at The National Museum in Oslo. Offering a wholesome exhibition including customized stands inside the exhibition which visitors can interact and play with, Pivot created and produced art dissemination objects. The concept is inspired by Rothko's watercolor and surrealistic paintings from the 1940s. Inside two separate frames, the visitor can create their “own Rothko” by reorganizing the rectangular “bands” as a backdrop and place oak figures inspired by Rothko’s works on top of the backdrop. Each oak figure has a magnet underneath and therefore snaps into different positions.
PROJECT METRICS
Place: Nasjonalmuseet (The National Museum)
Year: 2024
Exhibition: Mark Rothko. Paintings on paper.
Activity: Art dissemination
Material: Oak, valchromat and corian
Our initial brief was to create an activity that reflected Rothko’s 1940 works, where our focal scenario was accommodating for a father and his 9 year old daughter visiting the Rothko exhibition together.
A prominent and common characteristic of Rothko’s works are the rectangular backdrop bands, which Rothko continued to use throughout his whole career. These bands with the contrasting and characteristic lifelike figures “on top” became the main inspiration for the art dissemination activity. We wanted to simplify these shapes and bring them into the 3-dimensional world. By using high quality material and colors that resonate with Rothko's works from the 1940s, we can give visitors an inviting visual and tactical experience. Further, the added magnetic function gives the visitors a “snapping” feedback while placing out the objects and an extra layer of (unexpected) experience.
