Inventing and Re-Inventing the Perception of Color
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Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Eurographics Association
Abstract
Developed within the PERCEIVE project, the Color Science Demonstrators exemplify a research-driven approach to rethinking how color is perceived, interpreted, and communicated through contemporary technologies. These artistic-technical prototypes translate complex scientific concepts and historical research into immersive, accessible experiences. Designed to engage both expert and public audiences, they serve as critical tools for exploring the intersection of digital innovation and cultural heritage. Each demonstrator corresponds to one of the five core scenarios in the PERCEIVE project- polychrome sculpture, painting, textiles, historical photography, and born-digital art-and reflects a distinct dimension of the project's inquiry, ranging from restoration science and digital heritage to immersive design and reinterpretation of historical narratives. Together, they transform abstract theoretical investigations into tangible, experiential formats. Each of the Color Science Demonstrators embodies a specific scenario from the PERCEIVE project, transforming scholarly inquiry into immersive experience. The Autochrome Demonstrator, addressing historical photography, visualizes early color processes through layered physical components and AI-generated reconstructions, raising questions about authenticity and restoration. The SCREAM Demonstrator, linked to painting, translates color diNerences in versions of Munch's The Scream into a topographic surface animated by light and sound, evoking an emotional and spatial reading of color. The VR CHROMA installation, tied to the born-digital art scenario, oNers a virtual exploration of the Chroma Tower and augmented artworks, positioning color as both symbolic and architectural within a navigable digital landscape. Lastly, the Gabinetto Segreto Demonstrator, referencing polychrome sculpture, abstracts the historical Roman cabinet into a compact illuminated form that channels the sensuality and mythology of antiquity through light-based projection and reinterpretation. By addressing distinct material and conceptual challenges in color conservation and representation, the Color Science Demonstrators not only showcase the technological and theoretical advances of the PERCEIVE project but also invite deeper public reflection on how color functions as both a perceptual phenomenon and a bearer of cultural meaning. Whether by evoking emotion, reconstructing historical processes, or imagining future interactions with digital art, these demonstrators challenge traditional modes of museum engagement and point toward new, inclusive models of cultural experience. They propose a forward-thinking approach to color-at once scientific, artistic, and profoundly human.
Description
@inproceedings{10.2312:dh.20253365,
booktitle = {Digital Heritage},
editor = {Campana, Stefano and Ferdani, Daniele and Graf, Holger and Guidi, Gabriele and Hegarty, Zackary and Pescarin, Sofia and Remondino, Fabio},
title = {{Inventing and Re-Inventing the Perception of Color}},
author = {Clay, Arthur},
year = {2025},
publisher = {The Eurographics Association},
ISBN = {978-3-03868-277-6},
DOI = {10.2312/dh.20253365}
}