Chromarama

Chromarama is a textile study on colour vision deficiency

This project is now archived and was part of DDW21

This project is part of
The Embassy of Inclusive Society

Chromarama I

Studio van Soest

Chromarama is a series of five woven tapestries that are specially designed for different forms of colour vision deficiency. 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women are colour blind. The aim of Chromarama is to draw attention to the neglected role of visual limitations in design.

The research

The tapestries titled “Chromarama” explore and visualise how people with colour vision deficiency (CVD) see and experience colours. Chromarama is an artistic quest for an optimal colour selection. The colours, shapes and textures are coordinated in such a way that colour sighted and colour blind people see the same design.

Colour Vision Deficiency

Most people with colour vision deficiency can see parts of the visible human colour spectrum. They have trouble distinguishing between colours and often see grey where others see colour. To avoid loss of visual information, the design requirements were examined together with a colourblind peer group.

Five tapestries, five different functions

Each tapestry has its own function. Tapestry “Chromarama I” is designed for people with a mild form of red/green blindness, the most common form of CVD. Tapestry “Chromarama II” ensures that people with red/green and blue blindness see the same design. “Chromarama III” only uses colours that people with red/green blindness can perceive and “Chromarama IV” colours that people with blue blindness see. “Chromarama V” contains patterns that are based on the principles of the famous Ishihara colour blindness “dot” test. Colour sighted and colourblind people intentionally see different patterns in the circles. The works are produced in collaboration with the renowned TextielLab, the experimental lab of the TextielMuseum Tilburg in The Netherlands.