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Rainbow Squared Grid Year Five #rainbowsquared
Rainbow Squared Year 5
Performance, Animation, Essay
2021

For four years, I diligently produced pieces in order, starting with Red Red and ending with Black White Black White. For the fifth year, I produced these pieces “out of order,” or in a different order: an emergent order. Using a deck of Rainbow Squared cards, I drew a new card each week to determine its color combination, going through the entire deck until all 49 pieces for the year were complete.


An emergent order also makes room for another new feature: guest pieces. For Year 5, every seventh piece is a guest piece. Since the project’s inception, I’ve fantasized about it as an open source formula. What might it look like for other makers to “do” a Rainbow Squared? At first I wondered about others committing to complete a full body of 49 pieces. Now I wonder about the formula less as one of creative productivity as much as spiritual inquiry: how might this (or any) symbol set operate as a lens through which to notice and make magical and narrative connections in your daily life?

See the full interactive grid for Year 5 at arainbowsquared.com/year5.

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