Colour Literacy Forum #16 -- Material Lives of Colour, from Heritage to Innovation

The Colour Literacy Forum is an international, collaborative effort to align university-level colour education with current design needs in the culture. The goal of the Forum is to connect faculty, students, and administrators with interdisciplinary professionals to provide cutting-edge research, curricula, tools, and resources.

The Colour Literacy Forum is a virtual gathering featuring presentations and discussions related to updating and expanding colour education in art and design programs at the university level. The forum convenes for three events per year to share information and offer dynamic networking opportunities for participants.

Register using the button at left. For complete details visit Colour Literacy Project.

Left to right:  Anahí Re, Lisa Martìnez, Francisco Guichón, Silvia Vignolini, Riikka Räisänen

For complete speaker bios refer to the Colour Literacy pages.

Material Lives of Colour, From Heritage to Innovation

Talk #1 Title: Colours of the Past in Southern Patagonia: An Archaeological Perspective

Colour plays a key role in communication both in the present and in the past. As archaeologists we are interested in understanding information exchange over several millennia. In this context our research undertakes the study of different materials that showcase how colours were produced, applied, and used. In this presentation we summarize our findings and initial conclusions in our study region, located in southern Patagonia (southernmost South America), where different hunter-gatherer groups lived from 10,000 years ago until the 20th century. We have identified potential sources of coloring raw materials using remote sensing, as well as different materials involved in the production and application of paints, such as numerous grinding stones. Regarding their uses, archaeological evidence indicates their importance in the manufacture of rock art paintings and on portable items. These materials constituted an important source of information for past populations living in a climatically and socially changing environment. Nonetheless, paints also had other uses. Historic accounts written between the 16th and 20th centuries point to the application of colouring substances on perishable surfaces such as leather which have not been preserved. The characterization of these archaeological materials, including the application of physicochemical techniques and experimentation, allowed us to define a colour palette for the study region. Overall, this research provides new insights into the role of colour in past hunter-gatherer societies and contributes to a better understanding of the material ways in which information, identities, and meanings were communicated across the Patagonian landscape during the last 10,000 years.

Speakers: Anahí Re (Professor, University of Buenos Aires), Lisa Martìnez (doctoral student, University of Buenos Aires), Francisco Guichón (Assistant Research Professor, University of Buenos Aires)

Talk #2: Structural Color in Nature: From Function to Fabrication

Structural color arises not from pigments but from the interaction of light with nanoscale architectures, producing some of the most vivid and dynamic hues found in the natural world. In this talk, Silvia will introduce the concept of structural color and illustrate the remarkable diversity of functions it serves across living organisms, ranging from interspecies communication and signaling to camouflage and concealment. She will then examine the nanostructures responsible for generating these colors, exploring how their geometry and organization give rise to specific optical effects. Finally, Silvia will present recent insights into how we can mimic these elegant natural designs to engineer new materials and technologies for coloration.

Speaker: Silvia Vignolini (Professor,  Max Planck Institute)

Talk #3: COLOUR4CRAFTS – Transferring Traditional Craft Skills Into Futures Sustainable Colour Practices

Colour4CRAFTS was a 3-year project (ended in June 2026, funded by the EU-Horizon). It combined a multidisciplinary team of experts from five research institutes and a R&D company to carry out studies of traditional historic colouration practices combined with technologies of colourants biosynthesis and waterless applications techniques. Further, Colour4CRAFTS created futures visions for the textile colouration in Europe and highlighted the importance of crafts for the European economy. The researchers in the project presented archaeology and history, textiles technology and colouration, biotechnology and chemistry, art, craft and education. This created a manifold basis to understand colouration practices in history, craft and industry context profoundly and propose innovative solutions for the futures’ colouration practices. Education and communication had important roles in the project: the project organized several exhibitions, seminars and workshops as well as educational settings for public, professional and scientific audiences. Research aimed to foster European cultural heritage and the European cultural and creative industries, craft skills in textile colouration, and transformation of traditional processes into sustainable ones, which support futures’ green deal objectives. With other EU funded projects from the same creative industries cluster (i.e., CRAFTOUR), Colour4CRAFTS created and presented policy recommendations for the European Parliament for the support of European craft.

Speaker: Riikka Räisänen, (Professor, University of Helsinki)