Urban Rainbows: 14 Colorful Art Installations in the City

Wave of Rainbow
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Visitors crossing the bridge at China’s Xixi National Wetland Park in Hangzhou are ‘celebrated’ with an interactive rainbow that bubbles and changes to create what artist Anaisa Franco calls a ‘rainbow wave.’ The installation consists of 28 acrylic tubes full of water, sensors, air pumps and LED lights.

Your Rainbow Panorama by Olafur Eliasson
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A work of art on a monumental scale, Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Your Rainbow Panorama’ sits on top of the ARoS Museum of Art in Arhus, Denmark to offer a 360-degree view of the city. The circular pathway is lined with transparent glass in rainbow hues, each color representing a specific district of the city.

Rainbow-Painted Neighborhood by Germen Crew
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The village of Palmitas in Mexico is transformed thanks to Germen Crew, a youth organization of muralists and street artists, who turned it into one big explosion of rainbow color. Over 200 homes were painted in bright, saturated tones in an effort to revitalize the community so it reflects the character of its residents.

Xiying Rainbow Bridge
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Traversing a river in Magong, Taiwan, the Xiying Rainbow Bridge uses a thin band of LED lights to reflect a rainbow onto the surface of the water at night.

300 Rainbow Boats
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300 tiny origami boats glow in every color on the spectrum for Voyage, a collaboration between media architect Claudio Benghi and light artist Gloria Ronchi. Installed in London’s Canary Wharf in 2013, the project featured an interactive element, allowing passersby to alter the color of the illuminations on their phones.