Colour; the sensory aspects and psychology of it...

"...Its role in all forms of life is too evident to be either denied or ignored."

After researching the sensory aspects of tactile textiles, my research has delved into how colour can be sensory, memory triggering and the psychology behind that.

'Color psychology and color therapy' by Faber Birren discusses how and why people respond to different colours, referencing specialist researchers in the field such as Kurt Goldstein, William A. Wellmann and Dr. Robert R. Ross, who all acknowledge connections between human emotion and colour:

"Medical science does admit actions and influences in the realm of the psychic." - Faber Birren

'Colour, a journey' by Victoria Alexander takes a less scientific approach to understanding what colour means to people and why we relate to it in the way we do. Its filled with beautiful, inspiring imagery, demonstrating how colour exists in the world around us. The writing adapts a more romantic, lyrical take on the subject:

"Combining colours and finding the harmony in them is one of the most exciting and pleasurable aspects of being human, without it there would be no art...But its the feeling certain colours evoke, such as feeling comforted, aroused or seduced by a colour or a combination of colours, and understanding, and valuing that feeling is what drives this book."

Colour has no context and it has no history, it doesn't actually mean anything, which leaves us with the ability to relate to it in such an individual way:

"Its a coded system involving identity, ritual, religion and beauty, and varies from society to society." - Victoria Alexander, Colour, A Journey.

Whilst researching the Buddhist belief behind the folklore tale of The Hungry Ghost I discovered the Buddhist belief in different colours, specifically in relation to the festival; the colour of lotus flowers, which supports the statement above, religion and ritual influencing the perception of those colours. Those colours being pink, white, blue and red:

Pink - This is the supreme lotus as its considered the true lotus of the Buddha. A pink lotus is said to convey the emotions of a person and the feelings in their heart through the shape and condition of the petals.

White - This is to symbolise Bodhi (being awakened) and represents a state of mental purity.

Blue - Enlightenment, intelligence but spirit over wisdom. This lotus is to represent a person leaving behind their knowledge and becoming open to spirituality and the attachment to life.

Red - Being associated with the heart the red lotus represents compassion and love.

Personal Associations

"When colour is used as a descriptor to a group, each person imagines a different tone based on their personal associations and reactions" - Victoria Alexander

Colour, being totally free to interpret, is something we as children subconsciously process and relate too. We develop natural and instinctive reactions to things as a result of our experiences. As established in my tactile sensory research, we wont always be able to remember why we feel a certain way about something even if we have a strong liking or disliking for it. We may have once bitten into a rotten green apple and now have this unexplainable disliking to green. I always had an obsession with red and white stripes, one of my favourite characters was Cat in The Hat who always wore a red and white stripey top hat. The subconscious has a lot to answer for. Either way, whatever the reason, we use colour to convey our personalities and traits by the colours we wear, the way we choose to use colour in our homes, and in all other aspects of life:

"Colour links us with its unspoken language, we summarise ourselves with colour in our appearance and our lives...Choosing colours that feel right for you gives you a heightened sense of self..." - Victoria Alexander.

Colours of the spectrum are generally associated with two different 'moods': warm and attractive, then cool and passive:

"An emotionally responsive person will react quite freely to colour in general. An emotionally inhibited person may be shocked or embarrassed by the intrusion of colour into his/her inner life...but one would be an iconoclast to reject colour entirely" - Faber Birren

The majority of people are said to like and respond well to colour in general, especially warmer colours of the spectrum. Many researchers have established different colour palettes to relate to different emotions.

The general consensus is that warmer colours include red, pink, orange, yellow and that cooler tones include blues, greens, purples. Anything in between can be considered 'neutral' and black and white, not really as colours at all.

Dr. Robert R. Ross of Stanford University has gathered research to convey a connection between dramatic intensity and emotion with colour:

Tragedy - Grey, Blue, Purple

Comedy - Orange, Yellow, Red

William A. Wellmann of California developed a theatrical palette:

Vigor - Red

Joy - Yellow

Health - Green

Thought - Blue

Melancholy - Brown

Old Age - Grey

Awareness - White

Gloom - Black

Faber Birren goes on to state that with so many different translations and interpretations of colour palettes, without having the context to consider, no palette will ever be accurate, and our translations will forever be down to the individual:

"Thus no list of colour associations is adequate unless it takes into consideration these subjective, as well as objective, aspects. Reactions will differ as a person associates colour with the outside world or with himself" - Faber Birren

The Colour Effect:

It goes like this: Colour affects your mood and your mood affects your emotions, which in turn affect your decisions. YOUR MOODS ARE THE UNDERLYING COLOURING THROUGH WHICH YOU EXPERIENCE LIFE. Although you are often unaware of where a good or bad, happy or sad one comes from, moods are none the less the subconscious state by which you colour and see your world. Moods are different from emotion, and colour has a direct and positive or negative effect on them. You can use colour to gauge or create a mood, a fluctuation or a difference. If you are in any doubt, just think of the many different emotional responses to a white flag surrender.

- Victoria Alexander