The language of
colour by Sandy Robson
Rubidium spectrum. Nineteenth-century scientists, Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff discovered this element through spectroscopy, observing that the flame created by the burning of the new element created a unique spectrum.
W
hile some species do not discern much colour at all, and others like bees focus on ultraviolet and other spectrums, to our human eyes the world is indeed a colourful one. Collins Dictionary defines only 32 shades of blue, from aquamarine to Wedgewood, and over 40 shades of red, but the human eye is capable of distinguishing millions of different colours within the visible light spectrum. And yet colour is an illusion… a trick of the light, if you will. The white light that floods our world from the sun is actually a spectrum of visible light 10 PASSIONS | SPRING-SUMMER 2021
ranging from red through orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. We see a lemon as yellow because the outer peel absorbs all of the light that shines upon it, except for the yellow light, which reflects back to the viewer and that is translated by the intricate structures in our eyes and brain to become what we call yellow. The process is beautifully complex, and after heading down a rabbit hole of research including mind-bending science ideas from Michael Stevens (Google Vsauce on YouTube for some science-y fun.) I decided to leave well
enough alone and focus on why and how colour plays such an important role in the life of us humans. Colour is used to describe almost everything in our world, so “learning our colours” is one of the first tasks we are given as children. Colour gives us the cues we need to zero in on our surroundings. We pick up the red block and place it in a blue box; put on our green and yellow boots, watch for gramma’s purple car to arrive outside. From an early age we learn to love colour, and associate it with food, things, seasons, people, and activities.
