In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
In a society that is constantly evolving and finding new ways of using technology to enhance our experiences, there seems to be an international interest amongst artists, institutions and audiences to further our perceptions of colour through technology. But before we get into the wonders of technology and the ways it enhances our ability to experience colour, let us first understand the human relationship with colour.
Colour is registered by the human eye in relation to the way light travels, reaches our retina and sends signals to our brain. Such an intricate process to produce unique colour signals for our brain to understand! Although many people speak of colour as an objective thing, have you noticed that we all see colours differently? This is because the amount of cone cells (which are found in the retina and affect the way we perceive colour) people possess vary. Some people also have colour impairments or are colour blind which means they will see colour differently, but as has been the way in human history, seeing the world in a unique way can lead to marvellous discoveries.
Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is a prime example of how technology and science can be used to overcome our physical realities to experience life and colour in new ways. Neil Harbisson is a contemporary artist and cyborg activist who has implanted an antenna called an eyeborg in the back of his skull to combat his achromatopsia; a rare type of colour blindness that means he sees the world in shades of grey. The eyeborg translates sound into colour by detecting the light hues and converting it into sound. An interesting project of his entitled “Sonochromatics LP’s” involves Harbisson painting the dominant colour of each track from a vinyl onto the top of the vinyl so that the LPs can then be played through colour using a mobile app.
Machine Learning and Augmented Reality
Google Arts & Culture and Centre Pompidou in Paris have teamed up to bring the works of world-renowned Russian painter and colour icon Vassily Kandinsky to art lovers through a multi-sensory virtual exhibition called Sounds Like Kandinsky. The powerhouse technology company Google has used machine learning to facilitate viewers in finding out about the painter’s life, art, and experience what it would be like to have synaesthesia, whereby you see shapes when you hear music, or see a colour when you hear a word or name. The virtual experience is accessible, informative, and engaging. Augmented reality comes into action via the virtual gallery where you can follow the trajectory of Kandinsky’s career and see his colourful artworks from the comfort of your home. Although there are many educational resources and galleries using these technologies, the reason, we wanted to highlight this exhibition is because it also explores the relationship between technology, sound, and visual arts. If you would like to visit the Sounds Like Kandinsky please click here.
The possibilities of technology are endless, and the science is ever changing. From a posthuman lens, art is a perfect medium to explore and enhance our perception of reality. Colour, as a visual manifestation of our physical and metaphysical world, is something that relates to all aspects of our life, be it our identity, culture, passions or health; therefore by enhancing the ways we see colour, we are also able to see life in a new way.
