What Colour Means — What Colours Mean
Hosted by the interdisciplinary journal Colour Turn at the University of Tübingen, our Colour Research Colloquium (CRC) invites young scholars from various fields to explore colour as both a sensory experience and a cultural signifier.
We welcome 15-minute presentations on ongoing research at any stage. If you're simply curious and would like to attend as a listener, you're very welcome to join as an audience member. Just send us a short email at submission@colourturn.net to express your interest.
Since its launch, the CRC has brought together a growing community of researchers, artists, and scholars interested in colour as both a sensory experience and a cultural, historical, and scientific phenomenon. Building on the momentum of previous sessions, the colloquium continues to offer an open and supportive space where ideas can be shared, tested, and discussed across fields.
The aim of the CRC is not only to present finished work, but also to create a collegial environment where participants can exchange perspectives, ask questions, and explore new connections around colour research.
CRC 2026
We look forward to continuing the conversation with the next editions of the Colour Research Colloquium in 2026. To present or attend, please contact submission@colourturn.net.
Past Sessions & Reports
CRC 4 — February 2026
Our fourth Colour Research Colloquium continued to build on the previous year's momentum, with growing interest, engaged discussions, and new connections emerging across fields.
Programme highlights:
- David Briggs — Colour perception and constancy
- Kexin Chen — Ritual and cinematic intensity in Santa Sangre
- Charles Ledlaire — Naturalness and colour in film
- Rawan Alsaffar — Urban ecologies and greening practices
- Peter Holzhausen (artist) — Perceptual approaches to colour
12:00–approx. 16:00 (CET)
CRC 3 — October 2025
Online | 23 October 2025
The third edition of the Colour Research Colloquium featured short presentations from early-career researchers, established scholars, and artists, with invited contributions from Prof. Dr. Susanne Marschall and Dr. Elena Mucciarelli.
CRC 2 — May 2025
What Colour Means – What Colours Mean, Second Edition | May 15, 2025
After a very encouraging first edition, we continued the initiative as a regular gathering, held three times a year and dedicated to interdisciplinary conversations on colour.
CRC 1 — February 2025
What Colour Means – What Colours Mean | 20 February 2025 | Online Event
Speakers:
- Prof. Dr. Susanne Marschall (University of Tübingen)
- Dr. Elena Mucciarelli (University of Groningen)
- Prof. Dr. Priscilla Layne (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
- Devinn Hurley, MA (University of Amsterdam)
- Casandra Boldor, PhD Candidate (University of the Republic of Uruguay)
- Anita Back (Berlin) — Artist and photographer
- Prof. Katja Schmid (Stuttgart Media University HdM)
Topics We Welcome
Our journal and colloquium welcome a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:
- Basics of colour research and methodology
- Colour in the brain and visual perception
- Crossmodality: colour, taste, smell, and synaesthesia
- Colour and language, memory, emotions
- Colour in nature: evolution, animal vision, pigments
- Colour and technology: from pigments to digital displays
- Colour in art, film, photography, and media
- Colour in culture, ritual, and society
- Colour and identity