Its a Colorful Life

Thanks to A Creative DC on Instagram and my #artsniffer friend, Hannah, I heard about this secret renegade art installation, SYNTH SERIES 002 by TOKi in an abandoned warehouse near the Rhode Island Metro in NE DC. TOKi is a duo of recent architecture grads, Tolu and Khai, who created this art display with yarn, wood, and nails, geared at creating wonder and exploration to viewers.

"Our initial decision to create this series was more impulsive than planned, and influenced by the desire to express the music we hear three-dimensionally. These creations allow us to represent the sounds of music as physical worlds. They start with lines of distinct colors you can follow and the more you immerse yourself, the more they blend and the more you surrender to the symphony of color. Similar to music, the space we create allows you to slip between worlds, to be in two places simultaneously."

-from A Creative DC blog interview with the artists. Read the full blog post here.

SYNTH SERIES 002 took Hannah and I on a crazy adventure through the abandoned warehouse in North East DC. There are no markings, no signs- only word of mouth on how to find this art installation. Luckily Hannah had a friend who went and was nice enough to share his directions so we could witness this for ourselves. After crawling through a chain link fence, trudging up a dirt hill into the dark abandoned building, and climbing stairs filled with shards of broken glass, we got to the top floor where the artwork was on display. At first glance, I didn't see all the dimensions of the yarn, but after diving into the yarn and crawling through its design, I saw the beautiful integration of symphonic colors and dimensions this piece of art is meant to convey. The other cool thing about this art installation is through the lines and dimensions of yarn, you can see graffiti art along the walls of the building that I am guessing is very recent, due to the first pictures of SYNTH SERIES 002 not having some of this wall art in the background. The blending of not only perception and color, but the blending of other local artists this art installation drew out is incredible. By far this has been one of the coolest experiences in DC and I'm so lucky to have witnessed this. I was planning on telling you all the directions to experience it yourselves, but unfortunately, I heard that yesterday just after my visit the building's management came and cut down the yarn and put no trespassing signs all over the outside of the building.

Entrance to the warehouse

While SYNTH SERIES 002 is over, SYNTH SERIES 003 is likely coming- so stay tuned and follow TOKi artists, Tolu and Khai on Instagram for updates.