Email from Colour Consultant Helen Gurura

Having contacted the SDC in Bradford my details were sent to Helen Gurura in South Africa. Helen is a Colour consultant, her response is below: Dear Edward, Your hospital art project sounds fascinating... and the role of colour is without a doubt, a highly paramount factor in creating an ambience conducive to patient healing! Since you are working at tertiary level, I will steer you in an advisory role, and avoid the temptation of merely giving you colour prescriptions/recipes for the reasons I have detailed below. Colour is the most commonly seen element in both the natural and man-made environment, yet undoubtedly still remains the least understood, in terms of its dynamics and the way it continues to be used in the architectural environment. The complexity of colour is further heightened by the influence of numerous variables which in turn influence man’s perception of colour. This includes aspects covering, but not limited to: size of the interior space or building dimensions, its shape, the observer’s state of adaptation, simultaneous contrast, after-image effects, surround colours and most importantly, lighting. Humans are surrounded by colour and at times may not even be aware of the effects it has on them. Feelings can be evoked through colour at even an unconscious level and this gives rise to the term ‘colour emotion’, defined as an associated feeling or emotion induced in the brain during the colour perception process. In architectural psychology terminology this is called ‘the emotional loading of a space’.  The emotional and psychological responses to colour need not be limited to armchair theories stating that colour X makes you feel calm, whilst colour Y decreases blood pressure. In as much as there may be theories to justify these findings, they remain an abstract notion attempting to over-simplify the dynamics of colour. People ought to beware of such misleading texts, for anyone knowledgeable in the field will tell you that even a slight variation in any given colour can alter the emotional response that one has to the colour stimulus. Take for example a statement to the effect that the colour red causes excitement and arousal. Which red are we making reference to here seeing as there are hundreds of possible colour derivatives that fall under the umbrella term ‘red’? Reds can be either ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ reds, depending on the pigments used to create the colour. This implies that the attributes of hue, lightness and intensity play an important role in the effects that colour has on humans. Colour is a science not just a mere element with a decorative effect. Even in history and ancient civilisations, colour held a symbolic association which outlived the aesthetic purpose it has synonymously been mutated to represent in our present day. In addition, colours are never seen in isolation, but in infinite combinations. Even this inevitably affects the appearance of the colour as well as its emotional effects within the relative context. Our very own personal relationship and association to any given colour constitutes what is often referred to as ‘the subjective experience of colour’. This implies that we all will react differently to any given colour stimuli because of  our own personal colour preferences, personality and character, culture, gender, age and fads (used in the context of popular, but short-lived colour trends). Research has also shown that there are common traits amongst humans that show consistencies in our reaction to the element. An intelligent approach to colour use would be obtained through an evaluation and consideration of the variables above mentioned before delegating colours to any man-made space. This underlines the core fundamentals of the concept of ‘Humane Environmental Colour Design’ as advocated by ‘The International Association of Color Consultants’ (IACC). http://www.iaccna.org/ Humane Environmental Colour Design emphasises that the interrelationship between the exterior and interior world (our psyche) must result in a positive integration between humans and their architectural environment. Ultimate environment creation considers firstly, safeguarding the users psycho-physiological welfare, thereby making his tasks and interaction with the environment, whether working, learning, health care etc. optimal. To achieve this, aspects that cover the role of the psychological, neuropsychological, visual ergonomics and psychosomatic effects need to be taken into consideration. This scientific approach ensures that colours used in any built environment support the building and the tasks that it was purposely built for, thereby eradicating an assorted array of misleading facts that have become synonymous with colour recommendations, colour choices and colour use. A book of interest that you could perhaps invest in to explore the above mentioned approach further is: Color, Environment, & Human Response; Frank H. Mahnke; 1996; John Wiley & Sons Inc. You can have a quick preview at:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Color-Environment-Human-Response-Mahnke/dp/0471286672 Chapter 11 (though short…) is dedicated to ‘Health Care Environments’ and has some functional pointers that will steer you in the right direction… bearing in mind too that you did mention the fact that this art work will cover a relatively large corridor area. Another book of interest is: Color: Communication in Architectural Space; Meerwein, Rodeck, Mahnke; 2007; Birkhauser It also has a short chapter on ‘Therapeutic Facilities’. See book’s previewed contents at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Communication-Architectural-Gerhard-Meerwein/dp/3764375965 That being said, I would also recommend that you conduct a little more research around the fields of ‘Colour Psychology’ and ‘Colour Therapy’ to ensure you embrace a 360 degree approach in justifying your ‘healing colour’ selection process. I wish you well on your project... and do sincerely hope that this entire experience will further sharpen your sensitivity to colour! Regards, Helen Gurura