Color Mania The Material of Color in Photography and Film

An investigation into the material aspects of color in photography and film and the relationship between historical film colors and present-day photography

More than 230 film color processes have been devised in the course of film history, often in connection with photography. Both mediums institutionalized the techniques of hand and stencil coloring as well as toning. Printing methods such as the Pinatype or Technicolor, and screen processes like the Autochrome or Dufaycolor were initially developed in the context of still photography before being used in motion pictures in the 1920s.

This publication highlights material aspects of color in photography and film, while also investigating the relationship of historical film colors and present-day photography.

Alongside film stills from the likes of Godard and Lynch, works by contemporary photographers and artists--Dunja Evers, Raphael Hefti, Alexandra Navratil and others--reflect on technological and culture-theoretical aspects of the material of color. Thematic clusters focus on aesthetic and technological parallels, including fashion and identity, abstraction and experiment, politics, exoticism and travel.