Olympic Pavilion Gets Covered in the World's "Blackest Black" Paint

A paint that absorbs approximately 99.9% of light.

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Architect Asif Khan teamed up with Hyundai to construct a unique pavilion for the Winter Olympics 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The 13,000-square-feet and 33-foot-tall building is completely covered in the world’s “blackest black” paint, as per Fast Company.

More precisely, the paint is actually a special material called “Vantablack” which was developed by the sci-tech startup, Surrey Nanosystems. Impressively, it’s capable of absorbing approximately 99.9% of light and is often compared to a black hole, as per the publication. Khan’s project for the Olympics marks the first time the material was ever used in architecture.

The pavilion is currently open to the public in Pyeongchang’s Olympic Park. Visit Asif Khan’s official website to learn more about the project. Renowned sculptor Anish Kapoor secured the exclusive rights (art purposes only) to the material back in 2016 which resulted in him receiving a whole lot of backlash from other artists.

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Keith Estiler Managing Editor, Hypeart

Keith Estiler is a New York-born curator, writer, and the Managing Editor of Hypeart, the contemporary art arm of Hypebeast. Based in NYC, Keith heads up editorial strategy at the intersection of contemporary art and culture, capturing the icons and outliers of both the local and international scenes. He has curated exhibitions worldwide, dedicated to championing the emerging voices and subcultures currently redefining contemporary visual culture.

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