Latest news with #Vantablack
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Shades of Discovery
Just when you thought there was nothing more left in the world to be discovered (for have we ever spared any corner of this planet?), along comes the news of another discovery. A new colour named Olo. The colour is a saturated blue-green, much like peacock blue or teal. So, where and how did this colour pop up suddenly? How did it manage to escape our scrutiny so far? Why didn't we ever see it until now? The answer to this is perhaps the simple reason that it lies beyond our sight. So far, only five humans have ever seen the colour. Following an experiment in which researchers stimulated individual cells in their retinas by firing laser pulses into their eyes, the laser enabled them to push their perceptions beyond the normal limits. Thus, the hitherto reclusive Olo presented itself in all its splendour. Olo is an experience that cannot be accurately and truthfully described in words. It cannot be faithfully reproduced by any computer or artist too, as it is not visible to the naked eye. This only means that it will be a long time before it can surface on our phone screens or on the canvas of any artist. The discovery, for now, will aid the research into how the brain creates visual perceptions and also help understand colour blindness and other diseases that affect sight. This isn't any lone discovery; it must be stated. The history of art has several examples of artists who discovered new hues or created them. Anish Kapoor, the renowned British-Indian artist, sparked a controversy in the world of art when he secured the exclusive rights to use a shade called Vantablack. Crowned as the blackest black, the colour which absorbs 99.8 per cent of all light was invented by a UK firm for military purposes, but Kapoor saw the immense potential for its use in art and quickly signed a contract to establish sole rights to use the material in his paintings and sculptures. He has used it since, in his artworks, to create a spectacular vision of bottomless depths and dark voids. There was obviously a furore over this, with an artist even going forth to create colours that were blacker or pinker, while making it available for anyone but Kapoor to use. French artist Yves Klein, similarly, invented and then patented a shade of ultramarine in the early 60's, which he named International Klein Blue (IKB). Collaborating with an art paint supplier, he came up with the formula for IKB and used it extensively in his career as the main component. He even made naked models painted in the colour, roll around or walk on blank canvases, to create artworks with the imprints made during their performance. Every single colour discovered or invented can only make an artist's canvas richer. And the art that follows these discoveries will surely make the world we inhabit beautiful and meaningful. Colours are the poetry of life indeed!
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Saquon Barkley steals the spotlight at the Met Gala 2025, but it's his $82K watch that gets all the attention
Saquon Barkley's $82K watch at the Met Gala steals the spotlight (Image via: Getty Images) Barkley's whopping $82,000 watch takes over the Met Gala 2025 Fans reactions to Barkley's Met Gala look When sports stars step onto the red carpet at the 2025 Met Gala , all eyes are on them. But when Saquon Barkley showed up at the 2025 event wearing an $82,000 watch, the focus quickly shifted from fashion to controversy. The Philadelphia Eagles running back, one of the NFL's biggest names, was dressed to impress but his extravagant choice sparked plenty of debate. In a time when athletes are under the microscope for flaunting their wealth, Barkley's bold accessory had people talking long after the a sleek Thom Browne suit with a traditional black tie, Barkley exuded elegance. But it wasn't his tailored threads that had social media buzzing, it was the jaw-dropping H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack adorning his wrist. Retailing for a staggering $82,000, the ultra-exclusive watch features an alligator leather strap, a black Vantablack dial, and a sophisticated HMC 805 calibre movement. It's luxury in every some, Barkley's look was the embodiment of power and style. Others, however, saw it as a tone-deaf flex amid ongoing conversations about athlete wealth and community responsibility. While H. Moser & Cie's president called Barkley 'a gem of a human' and future Hall of Famer, not everyone echoed the on Instagram called the look 'That watch crazy,' and 'bro got the swag and style,' but critics weren't far behind. The duality of reactions underscores a growing divide in how NFL stars are viewed outside the wasn't alone. Fellow Eagles star Jalen Hurts made waves in a sparkly suit and a bold Navitimer watch, while Lewis Hamilton and Savannah James commanded attention in their own designer statements. The theme of the evening, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' was meant to spotlight Black excellence in fashion. But for some, the night's biggest takeaway became the elite price Read: Detroit Lions cut Za'Darius Smith, now risk derailing Super Bowl run without veteran edge help Barkley's Met Gala moment was unforgettable, but it leaves us wondering if it was a celebration of Black style and success or just an over-the-top display. What athletes wear today says a lot about who they are and what they stand for.
Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Opinion Is Olo a ‘real' colour? That's the wrong question
In 2014, the world encountered a colour that seemed to bend reality. It wasn't bright, it wasn't bold — in fact, it wasn't even really seen. Vantablack — short for Vertically Aligned NanoTube Array black — wasn't just the darkest colour humans had ever created. It was an absence made visible. Absorbing 99.96 per cent of visible light rendered any surface coated into a void. No shadows, no texture, no form — just pure, unnerving black. Originally engineered by Surrey NanoSystems for scientific use — telescopes, stealth tech, and heat-sensitive instruments — Vantablack was never meant for the art world. But word spread. Designers, artists, and technologists became obsessed with its potential. It was a black that erased shape, a colour that turned three dimensions into flatness. To witness it was to question what your eyes were telling you. Then came the twist in the tale: Anish Kapoor, the British Indian artist, blocked the colour for himself. He acquired the exclusive usage rights for Vantablank in artworks. And just like that, the blackest black wasn't just a pigment — it was a controversy. Could one artist own a colour? Should they? Kapoor, already known for creating giant reflective voids and sensorial paradoxes, saw it as a tool to continue his life's work — exploring the unseen, the formless, and the spiritual. But his monopoly sparked outrage among other creatives. What began as a technological marvel has now become a cultural battleground over access, authorship, and the politics of perception. While the world argued about who could use the deepest black, something else was happening: A quieter but equally radical expansion of the colour universe. Five years before Vantablack made headlines, a lab in Oregon accidentally stumbled upon a new kind of blue. YInMn Blue — named after its chemical components (Yttrium, Indium, Manganese) — wasn't discovered for art but for durability and energy efficiency in coatings. Still, its brilliance was undeniable. It was pure, bold, stable, and non-toxic, unlike cobalt or ultramarine. This colour generated a lot of curiosity among designers and artists. Here was a blue that didn't just look new; it felt like a missing piece in the spectrum. The hue made you realise something had been absent all along. And from there, the imagination stretched further. What if there were colours we hadn't even named yet? Enter 'Olo' — a fictional, conceptual hue that lives between known digital colours — not invented. It's more like revealed. 'Olo' doesn't sit neatly in a Pantone book or appear in a screen's RGB settings. It shimmers at the edge of familiarity, changing subtly with light and angle. Like an emotion you can't quite name, 'Olo' is a colour that seems beyond language. But the story of Olo isn't really about whether it's real. It's about what its idea represents — the ever-expanding edges of human perception. Because colour is not fixed, it's a relationship between light and matter, biology and culture, memory and mood. What we see is shaped not only by our eyes but also by our tools, our technologies, and our collective imagination. That's why colour discovery still matters — not because we're uncovering new wavelengths of light but because we're learning to see more precisely. And in this discovery, finding ways to articulate subtleties — emotional, perceptual, expressive — that we couldn't until now. Systems like NCS (Natural Colour System) and Coloro help designers describe colours and how they feel. In design, colour is a strategic tool. It can infuse trust, create urgency or suggest calm — all without saying a word. It influences whether we buy, believe, or feel welcomed in a space. In that sense, colour is a soft-power tool with measurable impact. With new pigments and systems of perception, designers can work with greater nuance. We now have the agency to operate with greater specificity — ascribe colours to mirror the emotional complexity of the consumer. Think of Tiffany Blue — more than a shade, it's an idea of luxury, timelessness, and aspiration. Think of Jio Pink — a colour of energy, accessibility, and youthful confidence. These aren't random choices. They're deliberate emotional codes embedded in visual language. A choice that more brands, creators and experts can continue to use to decode and trigger the desired emotion in the society. We live in a global attention economy and novelty matters. Discovering a new colour — or naming and standardising one that was previously unformulated — offers a competitive edge. As our emotional and sensory worlds grow more layered, so does the palette we use to express them. New colours — whether lab-born like YInMn, engineered like Vantablack, or imagined like Olo — are not just additions to a colour gamut. They're shifts in consciousness. They give form to new feelings. We live in a world saturated with colour — in ads, apps, objects, spaces. Yet, we often forget to see it until something jolts us. A sickly green hospital wall. A brand colour that feels 'off.' A sunset we can't quite capture. That's the paradox: Colour is everywhere — but we treat it like background noise. These moments remind us that colour is omnipresent and invisible — always around us, yet rarely noticed unless it misbehaves or surprises us. So maybe a colour like 'Olo' or a black so black it eats light, isn't just a novelty. Perhaps it's a call for attention. A reminder that perception is fluid. Even in a world where we think we've seen everything, there's still more to perceive. More to feel. More to invent.
The Guardian
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The week in dance: Romeo and Juliet; Deepstaria
With its 537th performance by the Royal Ballet, Kenneth MacMillan's sumptuous Romeo and Juliet is back for its 60th anniversary season. Not much has changed since its premiere in 1965, with a 45-year-old Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, nearly 20 years her junior, as the star cross'd lovers. Nicholas Georgiadis's imposing designs, slightly revised in the 2000s, still move the action swiftly from a dusty Veronese square to the bedroom to the tomb – the costumes in dusty oranges, yellows, plum reds providing grandeur and vivid life. And the Royal Ballet company still absolutely understands the work's heady mix of impassioned naturalism and soaring classicism. Each detail is considered and performed with infinite care to Prokofiev's racing score. Reaction emerges from action. When Matthew Ball's Romeo first encounters Juliet (Yasmine Naghdi) at a ball, where she is supposed to be dancing with someone else, their entranced duet stops the other guests in their tracks. Each face registers shock; each member of the crowd has a view on what's happening. Equally, Joseph Sissens's Mercutio and Leo Dixon's Benvolio aren't stock figures. They are utterly convincing as lads about town and as Romeo's mates, expressing their relationship not in looks and slaps on the shoulder but through dancing that's at once technically sharp and dramatically shaded. Ryoichi Hirano's Tybalt isn't a generic bruiser but a frustrated, furious man, desperate to assert himself. It is all beautifully drawn, nothing wasted or lazy. Little grace notes are paid due heed. There's a marvellous moment at the start of Act 2 when Romeo dances in a circle, jumping lightly, flicking his hands with the pleasure of being alive. Ball makes it count; he's a dancer in his prime, taking the balcony scene in great arcs of exuberance, registering every note of Romeo's exhilaration, disillusion and eventual despair. His understanding with Naghdi (they've been dancing together since their school days) reveals itself in duets of sculpted loveliness. She dances beautifully, and acts with deep intelligence, charting Juliet's journey from silly, flirtatious girl to doomed heroine. Yet there's a flicker between Naghdi's thought and her movement; she never quite abandons herself in the way her partner does. Over at Sadler's Wells, Wayne McGregor, the Royal Ballet's current resident choreographer, has unveiled Deepstaria, his latest work for his own Company Wayne McGregor. It's a glorious piece, named after a rare jellyfish and danced in a set coated in Vantablack– a synthetic material that absorbs light – yet carved by Theresa Baumgartner's lighting design into dazzling channels of expressionistic black and white or turquoise depths. The subtle richness of the changing colours is as surprising as the darkness, or the odd notes in the recorded score, created by music producer Lexx and sound designer Nicolas Becker to mimic music played live. Yet the technology exists to showcase the nine remarkable dancers moving across a reflective floor. McGregor's choreography is densely varied, from a solo under dappled light to a long and sinuous duet for two men, to hands wafting like anemones and sea urchins. The dancers might be sinking in the deep or floating in space; their diaphanous forms constantly morph and beckon, pictures of light against the darkness, full of life and love. Star ratings (out of five)Romeo and Juliet ★★★★Deepstaria ★★★★ Romeo and Juliet is at the Royal Opera House, London, until 26 May
The Guardian
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Deepstaria review – Wayne McGregor's otherworldly creatures beguile
The dancers in Wayne McGregor's Deepstaria are captivating creatures, miraculous in their facility for movement. Their figures evolve in front of us, lines melting into curves, convex convulsing into concave. In beguiling, often quite balletic dance, you marvel at the absolute clarity of their forms – bodies revealed in minimal black underwear or translucent organza that appears to float. Floating is a thing. The title Deepstaria refers to a type of jellyfish, and there's a sense of rippling through the weight of deep water. The show's other USP is that the set is made with Vantablack, a super-black coating that absorbs 99.9% of light (normally used in telescopes and space technology). A large black square, a void, is at the centre of the stage. But rather than an all-enveloping darkness, there is a haze and streaks of milky light (and at one point a very cool lighting effect like a giant rain shower). Deepstaria has a little more breathing space than some of McGregor's work; the choreography is quieter, with a focus on solos and duos that invite us to watch intently. These dancers may be like otherworldly creatures, but there are also some very human moments: concordance and connection, fleeting antagonism, a fraught duet and an incredibly tender one for two men, which is a highlight. Not so quiet is the score, created by Nicolas Becker and Alex Dromgoole, AKA LEXX, who is the co-founder of Bronze AI, a tool that makes recorded music evolve as if it's being played live. It's a fascinating sound-world, a step up from your average rumbling atmospherics. It is also deliberately contrarian: anti-melody, hooks and regular rhythm, which is wearing after a while. The idea may be to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat, alert, but in practice it can have the opposite, numbing effect. Of course, in the deepest sea, or outer space, we might first see the awe-inspiring beauty, but the reality is something much more dangerous – perhaps that's what this enervating soundtrack is telling us. Peril lurks in the darkness. At Sadler's Wells, London, until 2 March
