Designers and architects have to make decisions regarding color every day. But how does one find the necessary inspiration? The appropriate color? How do other designers and artists deal with the issue? With Chroma, the Greek word for color, as its title, this illustrated book provides answers to these questions and makes it clear that color is much more than mere decoration – it is one of the central problems of creative work. In the process, Chroma embraces the sensuous experience of color, inspiring and seducing the reader with unusual projects, from industrial products to color field painting. The book presents works by younger designers like Stefan Diez and Arik Levy as well as famous artists like Ellsworth Kelly.
All of the works are presented in large-scale reproductions and also in a kind of color gradient, in which they are assigned to the chapters "monochromatic," "multichromatic," and "achromatic." The spectrum encompasses all conceivable shades and combinations, from brilliant and colorful through tasteful and subdued all the way to black-and-white contrasts. An additional chapter analyzes the work of outstanding artists, architects, and designers like Gerhard Richter, Konstantin Grcic, and Sauerbruch Hutton, who grapple with color to an unusual degree and have formulated characteristic chromatic worlds. An alphabetical index provides background information on the artists and studios selected.
Die Innenarchitektin Barbara Glasner arbeitet als Beraterin und freie Kuratorin für Design und Architektur in Frankfurt am Main. Im Rahmen ihrer Zusammenarbeit mit dem deutschen Rat für Formgebung betreute sie von 2001 bis 2007 für die Internationale Möbelmesse Köln die verschiedenen Editionen des Designprojekts „ideal house cologne", wo international renommierte Gestalter ihre Visionen für das Wohnen der Zukunft vorstellten. 2008 gab sie zusammen mit Petra Schmidt und Ursula Schöndeling das Buch „Patterns 2, Muster in Design, Kunst und Architektur", erschienen im Birkhäuser Verlag, heraus.
Petra Schmidt ist freie Autorin und Beraterin in Frankfurt am Main. Sie lehrt Design-Theorie an der Hochschule für Gestaltung in Karlsruhe und schreibt für Kunst- und Design-Magazine wie „art" und „Frame". Nach ihrem Studium der Theater-, Film- und Medienwissenschaft in Frankfurt arbeitete sie für diverse Design-Unternehmen und war von 1999 bis 2007 Chefredakteurin der Design-Zeitschrift „form". Sie ist Mitherausgeberin der Bücher „Patterns" und „Patterns 2, Muster in Design, Kunst und Architektur", die 2005 und 2008 im Birkhäuser Verlag erschienen sind.
The interior architect Barbara Glasner is a consultant and freelance curator for design and architecture based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. From 2001 to 2007, in collaboration with the German Design Council, she supervised the various editions of the highly successful design project “ideal house cologne,” where internationally renowned designers such as Zaha Hadid, Hella Jongerius, Konstantin Grcic, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Naoto Fukasawa and Dieter Rams presented their visions for future living, at the International Furniture Fair Cologne. Her expertise in this field is further demonstrated by the various exhibitions she has curated and her participation in exhibitions, trade fairs, and events worldwide. In 2008, together with Ursula Schöndeling und Petra Schmidt, Glasner edited the book “Patterns 2. Design, Art and Architecture” published by Birkhäuser Verlag.
Petra Schmidt is an independent author and consultant in Frankfurt am Main. She teaches theory of design at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design and writes for art and design magazines such as art and Frame. After studying theater, film, and media in Frankfurt, she worked for various design firms and was editor in chief of the design journal form from 1999 to 2007. She is co-editor of the books “Patterns” and “Patterns 2. Design, Art and Architecture,” published by Birkhäuser Verlag in 2005 and 2008 respectively. Her most recent publication is the book “Unfolded. Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry,” which she wrote in collaboration with Nicola Stattmann (Birkhäuser 2009).
