Colourful Ice Landscape

"“When that light strikes the eye, it is converted into electrical impulses, this passes through the same part of our brain that processes our emotions.” - Karen Haller, 2019: 66 Appreciating that colour has the power to impact our mental wellbeing, this project uses colour philosophy to encourage feelings of tranquility and empathetic love. According to the mental health foundation 53-66% of the adult population feel better after going outside, and visiting green spaces. On Earth, the energy spectrum of sunlight peaks in the blue-green light range; photosynthesis does not depend on the total amount of light energy and therefore plants reflect green. The eye requires little to no adjustment to be able to see the colour green, it is therefore a restful colour; an indication of balance and harmony, ultimately igniting feelings of tranquillity. There are 2,000 textile factories along the bank of the Citarum river contributing to the 20,000 tons of waste and 340,000 tons of wastewater that is poured into the river each year, making the Citarum river the most polluted in the world. It is because of this that I use Procion MX Dye, as is considered to be a low impact dying method using 10% less water than other methods, it is metal free and is absorbed using cold water. The melting ice transfers the colours onto biodegradable and organic fibres transforming them into a puddle of that reflects the natural world’s colours that encourages feelings of tranquillity, relaxation and empathetic love. The process itself is therapeutic to watch, and also creates illusions of colourful birds eyes views of our planet.