Notes
on the Colour Lab Workshops
Red
Group (A)
1)
ASK THE EXPERTS
There
was some discussion about the auxetic material shown by Peter
Goodhew - would it be possible to make the model out of anything
other than cardboard, for example? Peter suggested that it could
be, but the material would have to be relatively thin and flexible.
The beauty of the structure was its simplicity and he suggested
his model could be reproduced and adapted fairly easily.
Peter
also talked about how material scientists were becoming more interested
in organic materials, such as wood, materials that had at one
time been somewhat ignored by scientists.
There
was some discussion also about the term "novelty", how this had
been seen by some of the group as used derisively. After all,
art is something that really has no 'use' or direct application
- but did this make it any the less interesting or important?
We
also discussed integrity of process - in Peter's presentation
there had been some 'artistic licence' to make the issues and
science more easily understandable.
2)
THINKING BIG
Many individual conversations took place at this point, but we
discussed how Colour Lab had presented some artists with new sets
of tools and materials. The impact of the day's exposure to these
materials could not be realised immediately in an artist's practice,
the outcomes from Colour Lab might ferment and develop for many
years to come.
YELLOW
GROUP (B)
1) THINKING BIG:
There were 13 in this group - 10 artists and 3 teachers - and
only 3 or 4 of the artists were familiar with some of the new
materials and technologies featured in the Colour Lab. For this
reason it was quite difficult for the group to have a really in-depth
"blue skies" session, particularly as they had not yet attended
the demonstration workshop. However, the following issues were
touched upon:
The
limited time that artists generally have for experimentation,
and Colour Lab had introduced artists to ideas and materials that
needed a lot of research before they can be utilised.
The
fact that artists rarely have access to new materials and appropriate
equipment ( eg: microscope)
The
artists (mainly textiles artists) in the group expressed an interest
in reflective yarns, new 3D printing inks, thermochromic dyes,
memory shape alloys.
Some
were also interested in developing their current work in more
high tech areas - eg: using conductive threads to "draw" with
wire and/or electricity.
Many
felt there could be a mis-match between the soft/feminine textiles
and hard/masculine smart materials.
2)
ASK THE EXPERTS
The group were particularly interested in asking practical questions
about thermochromics and electroconductive materials. For example,
the heat tolerance levels of some thermochromic pigments are quite
low, but the experts felt this would not be "improved" in the
short term and that artists would have to work within current
parameters. The group then discussed the limitations of new materials
and technologies (eg: transiency) and agreed that these limitations
can be a positive thing for artists to work with - artists are,
after all, very creative and innovative!!
GREEN
GROUP (C)
1) ASK THE EXPERTS
There was some discussion with Andrew Hanson about LCD displays
and descriptions of colour in terms of length, movement and speed.
i.e How long is red? Does blue move faster than red? If so, how
is it that red reaches the eye first? and other such notions.
This came from a previous discussion about liquid crystal displays
and colour in butterfly wings. There was also some mention of
macro and 3D photography, camouflage and secret recipes for making
special paint. There was also a discussion about using conductive
wire in conjunction with a thermacolour sheet as a basis for a
line that could be screenprinted. Plus the issue of IPR was also
brought up by an artist unwilling to share her knowledge.
2)
THINKING BIG
Having been able to attend the demonstration workshop before going
to the IDEAS workshop, the artists were able to talk through some
ideas from a more informed position. Conductive wire, for example,
was particularly exciting for artists and how it could be incorporated
into developing moving sculptural pieces. Discussion seemed to
finish before any thing really started!! There was some confusion
about what names matched which materials and a discussion about
photographing and animating special effects caused by smart materials.
The
Colour & Chemistry project is funded by Arts Council England SW,
The Sherborne House Trust, Dorset County Council, West Dorset
District Council, The Friends of Sherborne House, Porter Dodson.
Colour
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