LABORATORIUM

We look back at a wonderful opening of our expo: COLOUR, seeing beyond pigment

Pigments are everywhere. From paints to cosmetics and clothes, from everyday objects to your food and drinks, they literally add colour to life. Unfortunately, the pigment and dye industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. In the search for natural alternatives, .bio – the biolab for art, design and biotechnology – went a long way. Here, melanin proved to be a fascinating track. In Z33, researchers, designers and artists present their results for the first time.

Melanin is found in our skin and determines our colour. But what few people know is that the pigment is also found in animals and has a very wide range of tones. Think of the wings of a butterfly or peacock feathers. Because of the structure in the wings on which light refracts, you can observe different colour tones. Can these natural solutions help us in the search for less polluting dyes? Several designers and artists got to work with this structural colour and are showing their work for the first time.

This work is part of the artistic output of the research project ‘Ecology of Colour’ .bio in

Artists/designers: .xyz .di
Scientist: Maria Boto

Text:
Expo (8.5.25-24.8.25)
Curation:
Scenography:
Photography: ©Selma Gurbuz

Welcome at our expo: COLOUR, seeing beyond pigment

Pigments are everywhere. From paints to cosmetics and clothes, from everyday objects to your food and drinks, they literally add colour to life. Unfortunately, the pigment and dye industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. In the search for natural alternatives, Laboratorium – the biolab for art, design and biotechnology at KASK & Conservatorium in Ghent – went a long way. Here, melanin proved to be a fascinating track. In Z33, researchers, designers and artists present their results for the first time.

Melanin is found in our skin and determines our colour. But what few people know is that the pigment is also found in animals and has a very wide range of tones. Think of the wings of a butterfly or peacock feathers. Because of the structure in the wings on which light refracts, you can observe different colour tones. Can these natural solutions help us in the search for less polluting dyes? Several designers and artists got to work with this structural colour and are showing their work for the first time.

This work is part of the artistic output of the research project ‘Ecology of Colour’ .bio in

Artists/designers: .xyz .di

Scientist: Maria Boto

Text:
Expo (8.5.25-24.8.25)
Curation:
Scenography:
Photography: