Inhabiting Blue

Chiara Shim - 2019

Architects by in large employ physical materials to generate and define space. Materials such as timber, stone, bricks, and mortar envelop and contain. Yet when described in a purely scientific sense, the visible world can be defined by light or the absence of light and variations in between. Seminal author and investigator of the senses, Juhani Pallasmaa writes, ‘The experiences of matter, space and light are inseparable ... there is no true architectural experience without light’ (2016, p. 7). Extending this statement, the use of light generates space, creating an architectural experience.

The research proposition becomes: Using a reductivist approach, and employing only hue, saturation, and brightness to replace physical materials, this creative body of work explores how colour can be used to evoke a response in mixed realities.

The research methodology is Design-Led research, following similar beliefs to Peter Dowton, that by doing, knowing is enhancing knowledge. Literature reviews indicated that there are two main approaches to colour psychology and therapy. From this, the research aims to bridge the gap between popular culture claims and heavily scientific or psychology-based research, to explore the effects of colour through architectural design. Following this, the colour theory was researched, followed by a feasibility study of design tests. In the sketch design phase, the light at the wavelength frequency of blue was tapped into, and its effects researched. Unique blues were created from nature: flora and fauna were sourced and boiled into pigments. The final outcome is mixed media; Virtual Realities, physical works, and a unique experience. Throughout this project, tests were executed including reviews to gain an indication of whether a response was evoked.