COLOR AS COMMUNICATION

Posted on June 1, 2023June 1, 2023 by Building The World

The rainbow celebrates the beauty of natural variety and inclusion. Image: “Double Rainbow” gif by Zanthius. Creative Commons 1.0, public domain. Included with appreciation.

The rainbow, symbol of Pride Month, will appear on flags and fashion during the month of June.

“Pride Flag Parade in Katowice,” by photographer Silar. Creative Commons 4.0 Included with appreciation.

The array of colors in the Pride flag sends the message of inclusion. Gilbert Blake, the rainbow flag’s creator, developed the theme and symbol.

“Yellow ribbons as a memorial for the victims of the sinking of the MV Sewol” by photographer Piotrus. Creative commons 3.0. Included with appreciation.

In the United States, this week began with Memorial Day. The holiday’s official color is yellow, referencing the tradition of a spouse wearing a yellow ribbon while their loved one is away at war or held hostage. During the hostage crisis of 1972, when 52 Americans working in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran were held for 444 days, Penne Laingen, spouse of Chargé d’Affaires Bruce Laingen, led a yellow ribbon campaign for their safe return. Countries using the yellow ribbon symbol, as a sign of hope for safe return, include Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Philippines, South Korea, Sweden, and the United States.

“Portrait of a Rabbi with Prayer Shawl” by artist Isidor Kaufmann (1853-1921). Public Domain. Included with appreciation.

White and blue are often seen in sacred prayer shawls of Judaism. The shawl’s white background with patterns of blue may be seen at Hanukkah. Blue and white are also the traditional colors of Nigerian sacred cloths like the Ukara. White is seen in the Judeo-Christian tradition as the color of baptismal robes. It’s also the color of papal vestments, a tradition begun in 1566. When Muslim faithful observe lhram, the color is white. And many a bride has walked down the aisle in a white wedding gown.

Princess Diana in a white wedding dress. Image: wikimedia, fair use. Included with appreciation.

Kwanzaa, the holiday founded in 1966 that honors the days from 26 December to 1 January, each dedicated to a community value, is symbolized by black, red, and green. Black is for the beauty of the people, red symbolizes struggle, and green is victory, hope, and future.

Kwanzaa Candles of red, black, and green. Graphic design by Nesnad, dedicated to the public domain. Included with appreciation.

In Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, ordained Buddhist monks wear kasaya, saffron-colored robes. On the other side of the world, sports fans in the Netherlands don orange. There’s even a word for it – Oranjegekte (“Orange Craze”). Orange is scientifically proven to stimulate action. Another “hot” color is yellow: during China’s Song Dynasty, only the emperor was allowed to wear that hue. Association of red with the heart (including the celebration of Valentine’s Day) is universal.

Gautama Buddha in saffron robe. “Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Victory Over Mara” circa 700ce. Courtesy of Asia Society. Public Domain. Included with appreciation.

Colors can raise awareness and represent a cause. Many are familiar with pink ribbon symbolism, seen often during the month of October to symbolize breast cancer awareness and quest for the cure. When Cambell’s Soup supported the cause by redesigning two of its soups (chicken noodle and tomato) with a pink ribbon on the can, sales of those two varieties doubled during the month of October. The pink ribbon was developed for an awareness campaign designed by Evelyn Lauder of Estée Lauder and Alexandra Penney of Self Magazine, in 1992. It has remained a powerful symbol.

“Pink Ribbon” symbol for breast cancer cure. Image graphic by MesserWoland. Creative commons 3.0. Included with appreciation.

Pantone creates a Color of the Year, a tradition begun by Leatrice (Lee) Eiseman to mark the millennium in 2000. Since then, each year has been characterized by a specific color. Designers have noted an increase in sales when they match their collections to the Pantone color during that year.

The importance of color is apparent in the world’s flags, chosen with symbolism of values. The night before the new country of Panama was announced in connection with the Panama Canal, founders prepared a new flag. Flags were one way for soldiers to identify their unit in the clash of battle. The British tradition of “Trooping the Colour” began in the 17th century and now marks the official birthday of the sovereign. This year, the ceremony will take place on 17 June 2023 with newly crowned King Charles III officiating.

“Trooping the Colour” is a British tradition. Newly crowned King Charles III will officiate at this year’s ceremony on 17 June 2023. Image: “Trooping the Colour” by photographer Carfaxw, 2012. Creative commons 3.0. Included with appreciation.

Color is an instant communication that goes beyond words. It’s part of nature’s sensitive signal system. Birds, and bees, see colors that humans cannot. Insects and fish have highly developed color sensing systems. Many animals use color messaging for essential interactions. Color communicates.

“Peacock Plumage” by photographer Jatin Sindu, 2015. Creative commons 4.0. Included with appreciation.

As the world comes together to respond to climate change, how can we use color to raise awareness? We often speak of “green energy” – should there be a day of the week when one might wear green to convey support of clean, renewable energy? One of the first ways we are experiencing the consequences of climate change is through water – floods and drought alike. Fashion designers could create blue collections with fabrics and materials using sustainable water production practices. A portion of the purchase would benefit water sustainability.

**Blue fashion could honor water sustainability.** Image: “AUW Inter-Versity Debate Championship 2020 in Chattogram, Bangladesh” by photographer Moheen. Creative commons 4.0. Included with appreciation.

What are your creative ideas for ways that cultural, and environmental, values could be strengthened through the use of color?

Blake, Gilbert. “Pride Flag Creator Gilbert Blake on the Rainbow’s Meaning.” 29 July 2016. CPS Radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/schedule-for-friday-june-26-2015-1.3128742/pride-flag-creator-gilbert-baker-on-the-rainbow-s-real-meaning-1.3128763

Brooke, K. Lusk. “The Power of Color” pages 132 ff. Renewing the World: Water. 2022. ISBN: 9798985035919.

Goldman, Jason S. “What Makes Bird Feathers So Colorfully Fabulous?” 4 March 2016. Audubon. https://www.audobon.org/news/what-makes-bird-feathers-so-colorfully-fabulous

Morgan, Thaddeus. “How Did the Rainbow Flag Become the Pride Symbol?” 12 June 2019. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/how-did-the-rainbow-float-become-an-lgbt-symbol

Pantone. “Color of the Year” https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year/2023

Parsons, Gerard E. “Yellow Ribbons: Ties with Tradition” 1981. Library of Congress, The American Folklife Center. https://www.loc.gov/folklife/ribbons/ribbons_81.html

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G. Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 U

Heroes, Inspiration, and Change

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Building The World

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963, delivering his “I Have a Dream” Speech.

On September 24, 2015, Pope Francis addressed the United States Congress; it was an historic occasion, as the Pontiff was the first to do so, although predecessors had also received invitations. Pope Francis referenced the message of Moses, and highlighted four American heroes: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. In these leaders, the pontiff called forth the hope and action of the United States, and the world, to the qualities of peace, freedom, dreams, responsibility, and dialogue. What is the role of heroes as an inspiration to those ready to build a better future?

For the text and audio of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech of 28 August, 1963: http://www.mlkonline.net/dream.html

For the text of Pope Francis’ address to the United States Congress of 24 September, 2015: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/09/24/text-of-pope-francis-address-to-congress

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Israel’s Water Wizardry

Posted on July 15, 2015July 15, 2015 by Building The World

Every drop counts. Image: wikimedia commons.

Israel’s desalination program yields 25% of the water supply, according to Avraham Tenne, Desalination Division of the Water Authority of Israel: “With the touch of a button, we can produce 600 million cubic meters of water.” The land of Solomon’s Temple gains 50% of agricultural water through scientific sewage treatment. It seems to work: Medjool dates, grown with recycled water, are highly prized, and priced, around the world. Drought-stricken California has 80,500 farms; could Israel’s water wizardry improve its agriculture? Will Water Act, in Paris, prelude to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, build consensus and action to save the world’s water?

Israel’s water: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-02-13/israel-desalination-shows-california-not-to-fear-drought

Thanks to Ernst G. Frankel for suggesting this post.

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Environmental (W)holiness

Posted on July 9, 2015September 24, 2015 by Building The World

Pope Francis stated that protecting the environment is a moral and ethical obligation. Image: wikimedia commons.

Pope Francis has updated the list of sins; harming the environment is now of ethical, and moral, import. Environmental provisions were part of building Solomon’s Temple; Hebrew and Phoenician work teams alternated crews so that agriculture could be sustained. More recently, Boston’s Central Artery Project, known familiarly as the ‘Big Dig,’ hinged on provisions for environmental protection to qualify in part for some aspects of federal funding. When the road was placed underground (it was first called the Depressed Artery), a Greenway replaced cars with gardens, enhancing city aesthetics and oxygen. Environmental requirements and protections are increasingly part of public/private initiatives. Ley de Derechos de la Madre Tierra, Law 071, passed by Bolivia, and presented at the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference, defines earth as a collective subject of public interest with inherent rights. As the world prepares for the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, what influence might the pope’s encyclical Laudato Si have on environmental governance and guidance? In the United States, will the address to Congress on September 24, 2015 encourage progress?

For the complete text of Laudato Si: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

For the complete text of Pope Francis’ address to the United States Congress on September 24, 2015:

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/09/24/text-of-pope-francis-address-to-congress

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Signing the Future

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Building The World

Signature that changed history: Magna Carta. Image:; wikimedia commons.

June 15, 1215. A field not far from London. An agreement recognized by a yielding king, revoked by a Pope, revived by a civil war, Magna Carta would continue to shape rights, legal systems. So too, the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon’s Temple, where enshrined was the rule of law, marked a change in history. Magna Carta’s 39th clause may have been among the first directives of trial by jury. To make certain everyone had access to the law, Magna Carta was proclaimed annually, read aloud in a resounding voice by the sheriff. In modern times, issues raised by Magna Carta continue to evolve, as our world grows more inclusive.

“Why is Magna Carta Important?” BBC, June 15, 2015. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-33114817

“Complicated Legacy,” Colleen Walsh, Harvard Gazette, June 12, 2015. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/06/magna-carta-overrated/

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Fruits of Exchange: Solomon’s Temple

Posted on October 28, 2013November 6, 2013 by Building The World

Solomon’s Temple was built through an exchange organization. Hebrews met Phoenicians at the dock to receive cedars from barges sailed from Tyre; ships returned laden with grain and oil. Fast forward to the sailing freighter that arrived from rural Vermont to urban New York City on October 26, 2013. In the Kickstarter and Willowell Foundation success that recalls an exchange 3,000 years earlier, Ceres docks in New York City with organic farm bounty; upon return, supplies and materials are welcomed by rural Vermonters (http://vermontsailfreightproject.wordpress.com/). But Solomon’s Temple is inspiring for another reason: the cedars mentioned above were from Lebanon. Solomon’s Temple is one of the first organizations in recorded history to feature cooperative exchange and technology transfer between neighboring nations. Today, where might similar exchange organizations contribute to education and technology, shared natural resources including water, food security, energy, public health and regional disaster response, transport and trail systems, and perhaps even peace?

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Solomon’s Temple in Modern Controversy

Posted on December 18, 2012December 18, 2012 by zoequinn001

Supposed ossuary of James, Jesus’ brother, from Time, at time.com.

The selling of relics is usually associated with the Catholic Church, and seen as a obsolete practice. Recent events have proved contrary to this belief. In March 2012, an Israeli antiques dealer was acquitted of charges for forging Biblical and early Jewish relics, including items said to be from the first temple, Solomon’s Temple. The controversy began in 2002, when the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto displayed a box with an Aramaic inscription claiming that the bones inside belonged to James, Jesus’ brother. Red flags were raised and an investigation began that prompted many museums to re-evaluate their own collections. The authenticity of many of the objects in question is still up for debate, and Biblical archaeologists appear divided.

For the whole story visit:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46737965/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.T4SMpdnj1I0 and http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israeli-cleared-of-forging-jesus-brothers-burial-box-relic-7567034.html

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The Ark of the Covenant

Posted on April 10, 2012August 14, 2012 by zoequinn001

Hollywood has always had a love of historical mysteries and legends. In the last decade alone Free Masons, America’s Founding Fathers, Templar Knights, Leonardo Da Vinci, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Egypt’s ancient gods and goddesses, Greek mythology, King Arthur, and even plots to kill Hitler have been subjects of box office blockbusters and Oscar-winning films. Perhaps no historical mystery has been so successful in solidifying an actor’s film career as that of the Ark of the Covenant. Harrison Ford, as Dr. Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” plays an archeologist trying to find the lost Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do, operating under the belief that a tenth century BCE Egyptian pharaoh stole it from the Temple of Solomon and hid it in his city in Egypt, only to be wiped out by a year-long sand storm. Below is a little piece of history in and of itself: the 1981 trailer for “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.