Everything we are capable of seeing

Water droplets split the broad spectrum of electromagnetic waves that make up white light into a rainbow. Humans are only capable of seeing a tiny fraction of these waves, we see the colours from blue at one end of the rainbow to red at the other. Other species will see different rainbows, most mammals see a much smaller range, only blues and greens, other animals see a much wider rainbow, from ultraviolet to infra-red. The colours in this installation represent the full limitations of our eyes, a rainbow at night represents every hue and brightness that a human is capable of seeing.

White light, when split by a water droplet, separates into a broad spectrum of electromagnetic waves. Humans are only capable of seeing a tiny fraction of this, we can only see light ranging from blue at one end to red at the other. Different animals will see different rainbows depending on their eyes, dogs will see a much smaller rainbow, only the blues and greens, whereas some animals will see a much wider rainbow, from ultraviolet to infrared. The colours created in this installation represent the full limitations of our eyes and in that way encompass every hue that a human is capable of seeing.

The image pictured above is the Mills Observatory in Dundee in Scotland. This early 20th century telescope allowed us to see stars in only the visible range of the spectrum echoing the limitations of the artwork. Other images show the work installed at CAM Raleigh (Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, North Carolina, USA) and The Art House Foundation, London, UK.