Chroma: A Book of Colour / Into the Blue
3D, installation, typography, print

Chroma is a reproduction of the original book Chroma by Derek Jarman. It is a poetic, passionate and intensely personal exploration of colour written during the final year of Derek Jarman's life. In each chapter, a colour is used as a pathway to tell an almost autobiographical story. For the design of the reproduction the focus is laid on the chapter ‘Into the blue’. Deep, infinite and melancholic blue. The blue that is receding from Jarman’s own life while turning colour blind. Being inspired by his legendary garden as well as flowers as a symbol of grief when a loved one has passed, the blue chapter has been replaced by images of scanned flowers. In turn, this chapter has been used in the video installation ‘Into the Blue’ that accompanies the publication. Both the publication and the video installation function as an homage to the life and death of Jarman.

“I place a delphinium, Blue, upon your grave.” is the last sentence of the chapter ‘Into the blue’ from Chroma by Derek Jarman and the starting point for this video. This project later turned out to be an accumulation of perfect coincidences: blue delphinium, the garden, the symbol of the flower, grief, Jarman’s film ‘Blue’, Chroma, the music I was listening to, … Blending together all these elements with a looping 3D rendered flower resulted in a video installation that tries to grasp this feeling of melancholy, visualizing what feeling ‘blue’ could look like. My blue delphinium on Jarman’s grave.

Publication, 125 x 195 mm, 124 pages & video installation, 73 min, 2020 (School assignment)

Jordy Philips

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Graphic design and art direction