Capturing colour: film, invention and wonder

We take colour in the moving image for granted. But the search for a way to capture this colour is a story of ingenious inventions, personal obsession, magic and illusion, scientific discovery, hard work and determination. This is an international story with significance for Brighton and Hove, where some of the earliest successful ways of capturing the world in colour were developed. The exhibition which was held at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery from December 2010 to March 2011, explored and celebrated this quest for colour on film. It focused on the moving image in Britain from the origins in magic lanterns, early colour photography and Kromskops, to applied colour films, Kinemacolor, Technicolor and Kodachrome. Fantasy worlds, fairy tale genies, the wonders of the natural world, pageantry, cinema blockbusters and home movies all illustrate the stories of our desire to capture the world in colour. Capturing Colour was a collaboration between Royal Pavilion and Museums (Brighton and Hove City Council) and Screen Archive South East (University of Brighton). It was funded by Renaissance South East, Screen South and UK Film Council’s Digital Film Archive Fund supported by the National Lottery, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.