Journal Exercise 5 - Use of Colour in Society

PART A:
Colour and It's Anti-Authoritarian Potential

Example: Hospitals


Hospitals may be conservative in colour for many psychological reasons such as for ease of anxiety in stressful life
changing situations that may occur in a hospital but for all aesthetic reasons it is completely chromophobic. One beige hallway leads to the next beige hallway with some stainless steel thrown in here and there. It is all too completely surgical and void of personality. So I decided to add lots of crazy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas type psychedelic colours to it.

I added a super saturated pink that could either stimulate you or may your eyes and stomach, depending on the person. And some op art type carpeting that if on major medication may send you into an Alice in Wonderland type environment. So maybe the colour change wouldn't be that great of an idea for all of the hospital but in a couple areas I think it would do well for uplifting spirits and giving you an otherworldly experience right inside the hospital. I'd be all over that.

PART B:
Lack of Colour Where We Expect it To Be

Example: Fireworks


Fireworks are great because who doesn't like giant, shiny, exploding things in the night sky? But it's the colours that make fireworks so amazing. The blooming flower effects of some fireworks with white centers of sparkles and growing green,blues and purples falling all around. Without colour....


In this example I took all colour out of the fireworks and turned it into one shade of desaturated yellow. Kinda bland. Still somewhat exciting I'm sure but the lack of colour doesn't give the fireworks the WOW factor anymore.


Example: Day of the Dead Art

I love the artwork relating to Day of the Dead. It's always colourful and perfectly portrays the whole message of the Day of the Dead... to celebrate and remember those who have died. Most of the artwork is of a morbid nature but the colours used are intense and saturated giving it a different life.


Without colour, it just plain looks creepy. It looks like artwork that was solely created to scare or creep out the viewer. No longer is there a strong feeling of celebration in the piece.