Beyond static colors: an interactive participatory design perspective on color-centric experiences

By combining cognitive, sensorial, historical, and artistic aspects into one experience, digital interactive technologies have afforded new ways to perceive, preserve, curate, exhibit, and access cultural objects. However, there is a critical lack of frameworks and tools designed specifically for colored cultural artifacts-cultural items for which color is a key means of conveying the creative message. While colored artifacts are a priority for Conservation Science, due to their fragility and to the complexity of recreating original appearances, in this article we argue that the conservation of colored artifacts is not merely a matter of scientific studies, analysis and static preservation. Instead, we argue for holistic conservation including the valorization of the social dimensions of color, including for civic engagement. The work first investigates the types of data and knowledge that Conservation Science produces regarding colored collections which specifically consider the social dimension of color. We then research the relational ties between humans and colored cultural artifacts, proposing ways that caring attitudes can be triggered and maintained. We finally survey previous color-centric approaches to such artifacts with digital technologies in an interactive media participatory design perspective. We conclude with lessons learned and further directions, including novel research questions and ideas for future user experiences.