Rainbow Permutations

The rainbow is one of the oldest and most universally loved symbols, representing hope, unity, inclusivity and wonder. Rainbow Permutations takes the rainbow's familiar seven concentric bands and rearranges them to answer a singular question: how many ways can a rainbow's colour sequence be arranged? Working with the set of seven coloured bands – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet – Eatock rearranged the natural colour sequence to generate all 5,040 possible permutations of a rainbow (7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1, or 7-factorial). Using the Steinhaus-Johnson-Trotter algorithm Eatock created every unique arrangement without repetition. Each colour permutation is rendered precisely using CMYK printing, so that every print is generated as a genuine one-off rather than a reproduction or multiple. In Rainbow Permutations, the seven colours never change, but their order does. This alone is enough to transform how each rainbow is observed and enjoyed. In the original rainbow, one colour transitions into the next in a familiar pattern. By disrupting this sequence, Eatock has allowed new pairings to emerge. Some are harmonious, some more jarring; all are unique and surprising. Nothing about the production is left to chance: every permutation has been generated by a fixed, deterministic process. The only uncertainty is for the collector, who commits to buy a print without knowing which of the 5,040 sequences they will receive. Chance enters the project only at the point of ownership, never at the point of creation. Art Practice is an independent creators’ studio dedicated to realising extraordinary, craft focused work. Alongside its commercial practice, Art Practice supports a wide community of artists, writers, filmmakers and photographers through the production and exhibition of their work, both at its artist-run gallery on Curtain Road and beyond.