Color. The knowledge of the invisible
Comisario
Colour is omnipresent, a concept we take for granted, so obvious that it does not seem to require further reflection and so broad that it concerns a multitude of disciplines. Colour has attracted the attention of philosophers, artists, historians and scientists for centuries. In recent times, the most advanced developments in artificial intelligence, neuroscience and psychology have been added to the mix to enable our machines to understand what is intuitive to us.
The exhibition “Colour. Understanding the invisible” begins in the early 17th century with Newton’s seminal discovery that sunlight contains seven colours, which he separated using a prism. It then moves on to the attempts at chromatic cartography that began in the 18th century, before reaching the technological innovations that have made it possible to capture and reproduce new colours. Leading Spanish scientists tell us about the application of colour in pioneering research in the fields of photopharmacology and neurology, and a collaboration with Waseba University in Japan shows the colourisation of historical black and white films using artificial intelligence techniques.
Many conventions can be revealed and questioned through colour. The heart of the exhibition is dedicated to a range particularly influenced by ideas related to religion, power, industrial development and social habits: the range from blue to red, including culturally significant shades such as pink and purple. None of these colours has always meant the same thing, nor can we assume that their symbolism or perception is the same in all cultures. Pieces by Yves Klein, Esteban Vicente and Balenciaga coexist with others from popular culture to explore this question.
Above all, however, the way we experience colour is closely linked to psychology, as Goethe anticipated in the early 19th century. An immersive installation created by the Onionlab studio and based on research by a team of scientists from the Universities of Lausanne and Barcelona offers visitors the chance to experience their own emotions in response to different colours. Italian artist Roselena Ramistella also addresses the chromaticism of emotions with her series The Warmth, in which she uses a thermal camera to portray people in vulnerable situations.
