Total internal reflection
How are you feeling? This experimental installation invites you to choose a colour based on how you feel right now. Press a button and become part of an evolving communal light sculpture.
Artist Tiffany Singh believes engaging with the arts can improve physical and mental health. She intends Total internal reflection to be an expression of our collective wellbeing through colour.
A maximum of 30 people can be in the room at once.
Each colour selected for Total internal reflection is captured in real time – a record of how visitors are collectively shaping the artwork. This data is available in open source for creative reuse.
Caption
Tiffany Singh, Total internal reflection (installation view), 2018. Photograph by Maarten Holl. Te Papa
Indra’s bow
Spices, herbs, gemstones, and other natural materials believed to have healing properties are arranged here in a rainbow, a vision of hope and new beginnings. Fair-trade bells hang on the ribbons, and below them is a salt mandala – a symbol of cleansing and ritual.
Indra’s bow encourages us to acknowledge the spectrum of colours present in our everyday lives. The title refers to the Hindu god Indra, who used a rainbow to destroy evil. The work is also inspired by the Hindu festival of Diwali, which celebrates the triumph of light over darkness.
Caption
Tiffany Singh, Indra’s bow (detail), 2017–18, site-responsive installation. Photograph by Maarten Holl. Te Papa
Activities
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Audio guide: Hear colour: Total internal reflection
Hear colour: Total internal reflection
What does colour sound like? Select your own healing soundscape, created in collaboration with composer Steven Hue, to add to your experience of ‘Total internal reflection’.
