The euphoric palette and the impact that colours have on us as simple beings is something that I believe we wash over a little too much. We are distracted by the fact that we are running late for work or too conscious about the fact that our jeans may fit a little differently to notice the comforting natural colours surrounding us. I come from Pembrokeshire, a seaside town that’s a little too popular for my personal liking, and one that provides some of the most mesmerising sunrises and sunsets I have been lucky enough to see. Whenever I miss home, I look at my camera roll and admire the many sunrise and sunset walks I have been on, each image giving me euphoria, feelings of joy, and, most importantly, a euphoric sense of comfort.
Sunsets and sunrises are experiences in life I have always cherished, I remain fascinated by the beauty of nature and how we are forever surrounded by such mesmerising aspects of life. There is one particular day that resonates with me. I was 18 years old on my gap year, bored out of my mind and slowly starting to regret my decision not to travel, I felt myself negatively spiralling, unsure of what to do. During this time, I was one of the few who could drive in my friend group. So I would pick my friends up and go for ‘spins’. On this day, I took my two friends to Manorbier Beach, a gorgeous spot which is popular for surfing. Blasting It Must Be Love by Madness, we drove through the windy country roads to the beach. I will never forget the sunset we saw that evening; we were singing our hearts out until we fell quiet as we found ourselves in the presence of a blaring hue of the brightest pinks and oranges we had ever seen. Euphoria embraced me; I felt a feeling of joy that I had not been able to experience for a very long time.
Light and colour can create a sense of euphoria you cannot gain from alternative experiences, immersing people in an unexpected way. I found the sunset I saw on that cold day in January brought me back down to earth, creating a feeling of euphoria, which is why it has remained a key moment that I think of when I miss home.
Colour and light are complex, they can make someone feel the euphoric senses of vulnerability and joyfulness at the same time. Such complexity of light and colour is famously shown in the work of James Turrell, an American artist and trailblazer of the light and space movement. Turrell perfectly captures the power that light and colour have on our emotions, I find that his series; Skyspaces is the most impactful. The series consists of immersive experiences which can manipulate viewers’ perceptions of light and space. Turrell’s work provides people with a euphoric sense of joy, in his most recent Skyspace, viewers find themselves sitting in an unassuming concrete water tank in Massachusetts, embraced by alternating colours. At some points with warm oranges and yellows and others, cold icy blues, making people feel vulnerable.
Similar to the sunset adventure in my gap year, Turrell’s uses of colour can enlighten people. The square in the ceilings of all Skyspaces opens to the sky, bringing a euphoric contrast to the changing colours of the Skyspace. By using the sky, something that remains constant in most people’s visual pathway, and placing it in a small square in the ceiling, Turrell shows the importance of colour within this reduction. The light resembling a comforting symbol of consistency in our lives, and the everchanging colours of the skyspace represent the differing paths that we take along the way. Colour and light can feel like home, a comforting outlet of euphoria when needed.
As said at the start of this piece, I don’t think that we notice the impact that light and colour have on our emotions, but it has the power to completely alter our mindsets. The colour of a flower, the leaves on trees at the start of spring. Each impacting us, getting us out of that seasonal depression. Colour and light in themselves are euphoric, but the way they euphorically impact our emotions remains so mesmerising.
Words by Lydia Guy