The Chromatic Illusion within the Photographic Universe
The Chromatic Illusion within the Photographic Universe is a practice-based research project that aims to
examine the hidden impact technology has on color rendering within the photographic. To carry out this
work, I will refer to Vilém Flusser's notions of black box and program, and I will re-enact the scientific
experiments carried out in the 1660s by Isaac Newton with sunlight and prisms. By stripping photography
down to its very essence, my work will seek to disclose how light-sensitive supports and output devices
record and render the colors of the visible spectrum. I will examine photographic films, digital sensors,
tv/computer monitors, and chemical papers. The research will deepen the notion of ready-made colors and
explore the elementary properties of photographic matter. The experiments will address the following
research questions:
- Given that color in photography is always manufactured and never merely registered, what
influence does the chosen technology have on the produced color charts? Would it be possible to
link different worldviews to these different color charts?
- What is the influence of a given culture on the development of color technology? Do the cultural
stratifications of a geographic area determine how visual technologies decode colors?
- What remains of the chromatic heritage left by past technologies? For instance: when a certain
photographic film is discontinued, is it possible to talk about extinct colors?
examine the hidden impact technology has on color rendering within the photographic. To carry out this
work, I will refer to Vilém Flusser's notions of black box and program, and I will re-enact the scientific
experiments carried out in the 1660s by Isaac Newton with sunlight and prisms. By stripping photography
down to its very essence, my work will seek to disclose how light-sensitive supports and output devices
record and render the colors of the visible spectrum. I will examine photographic films, digital sensors,
tv/computer monitors, and chemical papers. The research will deepen the notion of ready-made colors and
explore the elementary properties of photographic matter. The experiments will address the following
research questions:
- Given that color in photography is always manufactured and never merely registered, what
influence does the chosen technology have on the produced color charts? Would it be possible to
link different worldviews to these different color charts?
- What is the influence of a given culture on the development of color technology? Do the cultural
stratifications of a geographic area determine how visual technologies decode colors?
- What remains of the chromatic heritage left by past technologies? For instance: when a certain
photographic film is discontinued, is it possible to talk about extinct colors?
Results
The research will generate an array of color films, photographs, and digital data. I will organize this visual
information into an exhibition featuring prints, projections, light boxes, and monitors. I will video-record the
different experimental processes, and this documentation will be part of the show. Ideally, this will also
feature a publication. To this day, I have the chance to present in 2024/25 the project's outcome in
Fondazione 107 – a center for contemporary art in Turin. However, I will also try to show this work in other
institutions based in Antwerp and other Belgian cities.
information into an exhibition featuring prints, projections, light boxes, and monitors. I will video-record the
different experimental processes, and this documentation will be part of the show. Ideally, this will also
feature a publication. To this day, I have the chance to present in 2024/25 the project's outcome in
Fondazione 107 – a center for contemporary art in Turin. However, I will also try to show this work in other
institutions based in Antwerp and other Belgian cities.
Promotor
Steven Humblet
Onderzoeker
Francesco Del Conte
17/09/2023 - 15/09/2024
