A non-profit event of the Deutsches Farbenzentrum e.V. – Zentralistitut für Farbe in Wissenschaft und Gestaltung based at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal, the HTWK Hildesheim and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Design: Sebastian Wendland, BUW

From the 25. to 26. August 2022, the international conference of the German Color Center on “Color and Health” took place at the Humboldt University in Berlin. The focus was on the search for strategies for the sustainable design of a healthy and liveable environment. In the first part, we looked at the influence of the colors of nature and architecture on human health and well-being. The second part focused on presenting forward-looking strategies for dealing with color materials, products and lighting solutions.

Photo: Axel Buether

The digital conference folder including a timetable, location maps and a participant catalog can be found here!

Program on Thursday, 25.08.2022

08:00 – 09:00:
Start of the event, registration and welcome coffee

09:00 – 09:10:
Greeting: Prof. Dr. Axel Buether, Chairman DFZ
and Prof. Dr. Olaf Müller, Humboldt University

09:10 – 09:30:
Color and health in an international context, Verena M. Schindler,
Chair Environmental Color Design

09:30 – 11:00: From the perception of nature to the psychology of architecture, moderated by Dr. Alexandra Abel

  1. 09:30 – 09:50: Needs-oriented interior design Alexandra Abel, Bauhaus University Weimar
  2. 09:00 – 10:10: Plant greenery in outdoor spaces – forest bathing – Shinrin Yoku Prof. Dr. Robert Horres (Asia-Orient Institute Department of Japanese Studies, University of Tübingen)
  3. 10:10 – 10:30: Psychology of architecture – A room for Dolf Andrea Möhn architects, Rotterdam Netherlands, mental disabilities
  4. 10:20 – 11: 00: Discussion

Abstracts of the contributions to the thematic complex From the perception of nature to the psychology of architecture can be found here.

11:00 – 11:30 a.m.: Coffee break

11:30 – 13:00: Color design and well-being – Towards a needs-oriented sustainable architecture moderated by Prof. Dr. Axel Buether

  1. 11:30 – 11:55: Color as a design tool for needs-oriented sustainable architecture, Prof. Dr. Axel Buether, Institute for Color Psychology, University of Wuppertal
  2. 11:55 – 12:20: Color and concept – the Soteria Berlin and beyond : the therapeutic effect of the designed environment
    Jason Danziger, thinkbuild architecture BDA / Berlin
  3. 12:20 – 12:45: What color does to people Nathalie Pagels, Pagels-Farbkonzepte, Düsseldorf
  4. 12:45 – 13:00: Discussion with Dr. Wolfgang Reuter, M.A. (former head physician of DKV)

Abstracts of the contributions to the thematic complex Color design and well-being – Towards a needs-oriented sustainable architecture can be found here.

13:00 – 14:30: Lunch break

14:30 – 15:00: Lecture by the winner of the Karl Miescher Prize 2022:
Form follows love.” (Online lecture and exhibition of photos and textiles), Anna Heringer

An abstract of the article “Form follows love” by Anna Heringer can be found here!

15:00 – 16:00: On the influence of light quality on health, moderated by Prof. Dr. Axel Buether

  1. 15:00 – 15:25: Light and health – what we know about it and what we don’t, Völker, Stephan; Sönnichsen, Kolja; Rothert, Inga – Department of Lighting Technology, Technical University of Berlin, Germany
  2. 15:25 – 15:50: Light design for people with dementia, Matthias Boeser, Birgit Bierbaum, Uwe Knappschneider
  3. 15:50 – 16:00: Discussion

Abstracts of the contributions to the topic area On the influence of light quality on healthcan be found here.

16:00 – 16:30: Coffee break

16:30 – 18:00: Color and natural materials in art therapymoderated by Corinne Roy

  1. 16:30 – 16:50: Artistic therapy with nature, Corinne Roy
  2. 16:50 – 17:10: Art therapy work with oncology patients Prof. Dr. Monika Wigger
  3. 17:10 – 17:30: Garden of the senses A nature-based offer for senior citizens, Anna Maria Mintsi-Scholze
  4. 17:30 – 17:50: Art therapeutic work with plant color n, Maria Teresa Scafarella
  5. 17:50 – 18:00: Discussion

Abstracts of the contributions to the thematic complex Color and natural materials in art therapy can be found here.

18:00 – 18:15: Conclusion of the first conference day

19:00: Evening event (after registration):
Beate Schöndienst with “DOES COLOUR TASTE?”Come Together

Program on Friday, 26.08.2022

08:30 – 09:00: Admission and welcome to the second conference day

09:00 – 10:30 a.m: Color – Material – Nature I , moderated by Dr. Konrad Scheurmann

  1. 09:00 – 09:25: Circulation problems – thoughts on the ambivalence of color materials Dr. Konrad Scheurmann, TU-Dresden
  2. 09:25 – 09:50: Color – Material – Nature – Biocolour Julia Lohmann, Aalto University Finland
  3. 09:50 – 10:15: Living Colors: How bio-based materials open up a new relationship to aesthetics in design Aart van Bezooijen, Faculty of Design and Arts, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy – Founder Material Stories
  4. 10:15 – 10:30: Discussion

Abstracts of the contributions to the thematic complex Color – Material – Nature I can be found here.

10:30 – 11:00 a.m.: Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30 a.m: Color – Material – Nature II moderated by Prof. Timo Rieke, HAWK Hildesheim

  1. 11:00 – 11:20: Colorants for healthy people Hon. Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters and Diane Drewes, Haute Innovation
  2. 11:20 – 11:40: Form Flowing Organism – Algae as a future resource Claudia Bumb, Hanover
  3. 11:40 – 12:00: Healing ColorCodes – what does health look like in current design? Livia Baum, trend agency zukunftStil, Hanover
  4. 12:00 – 13:20: Future fields of color Prof. Timo Rieke, HAWK Hildesheim
  5. 12:00 – 12:10: Discussion on the subject of the topic block

Abstracts of the contributions to the thematic complex Color – Material – Nature II can be found here.

12:30 – 14:00: Lunch break

14:00 – 16:00: Color Design Forum – Current works by young designers moderated by Diane Bergmann, HAWK Hildesheim

14:00 – 14:10: Presentation of the Color Design Forum: The HAWK Color Design Forum reflects current trends and provides designers with a platform for innovative ideas.
14:10 – 14:30: New Ores: exploring the wastes of mining/metallurgy through design, Studio ThusThat (Amsterdam
14:30 – 14:40: Forest Crayons, Studio Playfool (Dan and Saki Coppen, Design engineer)
14:40 – 14:40: Color signatures, Magdalena Tomoff
14:50 – 15:00: Material and color experiment with paper pulp – soils and plants in the Gandersheimer Kreisblatt, Michelle Häusler
15:00 – 15:10: Aesthetics of healing places, Gabriel Dörner
15:10 – 15:20: When color becomes space – Methodology for the spatial translation of color impressions, Johannes Lechner
15:20 – 15:30: Color culture, Lina Schmidt and Melissa Lindemeyer
15:30 – 15:50: THE MINIMONO PROJECT, Minimo
15:50 – 16:00: Healing Art – healing wall and ceiling design, resonance room

Abstracts of the speakers of the thematic complex Color Design Forum – Current works by young designers can be found here.

16:00 – 16:30: Closing remarks

Workshops on 25 and 26.08.2022
All workshops will take place in the adjoining rooms of the Humboldt University of Berlin and parallel to the presentations in the main hall.
Abstracts of the workshops can be found here!

Thursday, 09:30 – 10:10: Color Healthy – Color and light as a remedy
Susanne Wied

Thursday, 09:55 – 10:35: Colour and light changes in our environmentdue to digitalization , Prof. Dr. Klaus Richter and Prof. Florian Süßl

Thursday, 11:30 – 13:00: Production process of Lake Pigment – Pigment from plant parts Lisa Hermann, Hanover

Thursday, 12:00 – 12:45: Making and painting plant paint under the lime trees,
Anna Maria Mintsi-Scholze, Monika Wigger, Corinne Roy

Thursday, 14:30 – 15:15: Dyer plants and healing textiles as a learning opportunity for circular thinking in vocational training in Germany and Mozambique, Thomas Mönkemeyer and Wacelia Zacharias

Thursday, 14:45 – 15:30: Colors and textiles – a theoretical and practical exploration of healthy colors in interaction for textile spatial structures ,
Sarah Maria Schmidt, Of pigeons and sparrows

Thursday, 16:30 – 17:15: Color and Space – Colour Space Operations ,
Prof. Timo Rieke, HAWK Hildesheim

Thursday, 17:00 – 17:45: Color and well-being – color psychology in practice, Prof. Axel Venn

Friday, 09:00 – 10:30: Earth and mineral pigments for color design with casein paint, swamp lime paint and lime glaze , chalk time

Friday, 09:25 – 10:10: Energy storage, information carriers and sensory food Dr. Ines Klemm, Latrace GmbH Lucerne

Friday, 11:00 – 11:45: Color as a creative impulse ,
Barbara Diethelm, Lascaux Colours & Restauro

Friday, 11:30 – 12:15: Natural color profiles as inspiration for interior design: Perceive – translate – design, Beate Breitenstein and Prof. Markus Schlegel, HAWK

Exhibition on 25 and 26.08.2022

As part of the conference, an exhibition of student and independent works on the conference theme was held on the premises of the Humboldt University in Berlin.