INTRODUCTION
White has rich cultural and historical meanings and carries a vast number of connotations, for example, harmony, life, purity, innocence, transparency, light, emptiness, nothingness, and etc. White has a great sensibility and can be found within the natural world. It is both versatile and transient. White has been linked to ideas of purity, harmony, calmness and often-religious ideas. There is a special quality about white proven historically that awakens our human senses for a positive emotional effect. Delving deeper into the research, I was fascinated by a number of associations to the colour white. Questions emerged and informed the direction and exploration of the project.
White has rich cultural and historical meanings and carries a vast number of connotations, for example, harmony, life, purity, innocence, transparency, light, emptiness, nothingness, and etc. White has a great sensibility and can be found within the natural world. It is both versatile and transient. White has been linked to ideas of purity, harmony, calmness and often-religious ideas. There is a special quality about white proven historically that awakens our human senses for a positive emotional effect. Delving deeper into the research, I was fascinated by a number of associations to the colour white. Questions emerged and informed the direction and exploration of the project.
QUESTIONS
How can we experience white through our senses?
How can many complex ideas across culture and nature be reflected by one colour?
What are the material qualities of white and how can we use that to understand the world around us?
How can many complex ideas across culture and nature be reflected by one colour?
What are the material qualities of white and how can we use that to understand the world around us?
CONTENT
The chapters for the book were selected based on a list of words relating to white. While generating the list there were similar words, and some even contradicting meanings for example life and death. The book is organized into ten chapters, each exploring a different aspect that includes nature, science, life and death, imagination etc. Every chapter includes a few subtopics to provide a wider insight to the theme.
MATERIALITY
WHITE combines different white stocks of paper to enhance the sensitivity and coptic bound with the title on the spine. The cover remains blank and the whole book is printed in gray to enhance the reading experience where it becomes more difficult and intimate. The physical book form allows the audience and readers to experience some of the concepts and sensibility of white and learn about the different meanings and even perhaps draw their own ideas. They will experience white through the senses for example, the action of physical touch, flipping through the pages, juxtaposition of the paper stock etc. The book identifies the different meanings and qualities of white to show off the versatile and infinite potential of white as an empty vessel for imagination.
FINAL THOUGHTS
WHITE explores the many meanings through the written content and physicality of the book. It is not meant to answer the questions raised earlier in the research, but instead is an extension to understanding more about the idea of white and how it surrounds us in the environment
