Review: “Connect” in a World Without Division, Guided by Color
Patrick Reymond, co-founder of renowned architecture and design studio atelier oï, shares his thoughts on SPREAD’s exhibition during Milan Design Week 2026.
A world where people connect by gazing at “color” just as they gaze at a landscape or the sea.
When I first witnessed the new work Colored Boundary by the creative unit SPREAD, what immediately came to mind was their extremely pure approach to color. SPREAD aims to present “color itself” to evoke joy and happiness. Ultimately, their goal is for people to experience “color” itself, transcending the physical entity of an “object.” This is because color has the power to directly stir emotions and connect people beyond words. I deeply resonate with their philosophy that color should be an “immaterial” existence, much like music.
In this work, what supports this immateriality is the element of transparency. The multi-layered mesh material, where colored drapery overlaps, allows light to pass through and incorporates the scenery beyond without obstructing it. This gives rise to the ambiguity of boundaries—”seemingly present yet absent,” “seemingly absent yet present”—questioning the fragility of the boundaries we unconsciously draw and the possibilities that expand beyond them.
From “Boundary” to “Frontier”
Interestingly, the English word “boundary” translates to frontier in my native French. This word carries not just the meaning of a partition, but also the resonance of an unseen “new domain to be explored = a frontier.” National borders defined by society, or the psychological walls separating self and others—we tend to perceive these as opaque, solid walls. However, shouldn’t a boundary inherently be more transparent, something through which we can sense the other side? This artwork lightly strips away the opaque curtain known as stereotypes, reminding us that a boundary is not a “division,” but rather a “frontier” where new encounters and connections begin.
Resonating Philosophy and Primitive Senses
The reason I resonate so deeply with SPREAD’s creativity is that we share a strong will toward “new values” obtained by perceiving boundaries flexibly and transparently. In our current world, where endless conflicts and confrontations persist, I feel the root cause may lie in a “lack of physical movement and tangible realization.” Walking on one’s own feet, seeing directly with one’s own eyes, hearing raw sounds, and feeling the wind on one’s skin—the process of directly connecting with the world through such “primitive actions” is overwhelmingly lacking in modern daily life. Sharing the same space with others and empathizing through the five senses. I firmly believe that the sprouts of peace we so desperately desire lie just beyond the accumulation of these experiences.
In a Transforming World
From a long-term perspective, a time may come when physical “national borders” themselves lose their meaning. In the face of climate change, the very nature of “land,” which forms the foundation of nations, is being shaken. Colored Boundary, unfolding in the lush outdoor space of ALCOVA in Milan, quietly questions a world with boundaries, a world without them, and the “new state of boundaries” we must create moving forward—in other words, world peace.
Far from being a static installation, this work is a living organism capable of interacting with human observers while existing in deep symbiosis with the shifting rhythms of nature. As a living entity, it acts as a catalyst for the interaction and fusion of Human and Nature, ultimately cultivating a profound and close respect among humans, diverse cultures, and all living organisms. As colors intermingle and transparent layers overlap and float in the space, I cannot help but feel that this artwork will serve as a “guide” for us to connect with the world more flexibly and tolerantly.
— Patrick Reymond (atelier oï)
Learn more about SPREAD’s exhibitions during Milan Design Week 2026:
Colored Boundaries at Alcova
Colored Symphonies at OBR
