Latest news with #StuartSemple
Business Mayor
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
there's a ‘new' color out there, and stuart semple says he's already created a paint out of it
Stuart Semple develops an acrylic paint based on the invisible Olo color that scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, recently discovered. Named YOLO, the artist writes on his Instagram post, 'I've already liberated it.' It's because the researchers say this blue-green shade with an 'unparalleled saturation' is new, that it hasn't been seen in public, invisible to the naked eye. Like his blackest ink and barbiest pink , he has made the Olo color available. The acrylic paint blends high-frequency pigments and brighteners to let artist stimulate 'specific wavelengths of visual experience.' And by artists, Stuart Semple means that the Olo color acrylic paint is much more affordable for the creatives. Non-artists can buy the paint for 13,548.48 USD (yes, thousands of dollars). For the creatives, however, they can own Stuart Semple's Olo color paint for 29.99 GBP (or 39,89). 'To the best of your knowledge, information, and belief, this YOLO material will not make its way into the hands of a non-artist,' he says. Stuart Semple holding YOLO | all images courtesy of Stuart Semple and Culture Hustle, unless stated otherwise Tiny, rapid laser lights to the eye trigger the color Before Stuart Semple's paint , the news about the new Olo color made its way to the public on April 18th, 2025. The researchers from the University of California , Berkeley, and the University of Washington School of Medicine published their study , documenting how they were able to discover the invisible shade . They begin by understanding what colors people's eyes see and narrow it down to three types of 'cone' cells. The S cones, or short wavelengths, see blue light, while the M cones, or medium wavelengths, see green light. Read More Industrial Design Case Study: High-End Coffee Package Design Then, there are the L cones, or long wavelengths, which see the red light. The researchers say that the M and L cones overlap a lot, so there's no natural light that can only trigger the M cones alone. The study then questions what would happen if only the M (green) cones become stimulated. For the study, the team develops and uses micro-lasers that target individual cells in the eyes. They call it the Oz system, which aims to activate only the M cones. The scientists scan the retina first to figure out the position of the cone cells in the eyes. Once they have the cone map, the Oz system sends tiny, rapid laser pulses to only hit the specific cone cells , in this case, the M (green) ones. Stuart Semple's Olo-inspired color named YOLO Oz system aims to help people with color blindness Even though Oz only uses one color laser, which is green, it's possible that the process can activate other combinations of the eyes' cone cells. With this, the tiny light piercing the eyes can trick the person into seeing other colors. These include red, blue, purple, and even shades that they may have never seen before. Aside from uncovering a new shade like the Olo color, the one Stuart Semple has based his recent paint on, the researchers are finding ways to use the Oz system to study eye disease and vision loss. So far, they're trying to explore if they can use the cone-by-cone activation to simulate cone loss in people without eye diseases. They're also looking into helping people with color blindness and letting them see all the colors of the rainbow using rapid lasers into the retina. On top of that, they're exploring if they can use the technique to allow humans to see in tetrachromatic color, as if they had four sets of cone cells. In the meantime, the researchers have shared their findings with the public, enough to pique their interest as to whether or not the new shade hasn't existed before. At least with Stuart Semple, the Olo color appears vividly visible as a high-frequency acrylic paint (mainly for artists). the acrylic paint blends of high-frequency pigments and brighteners the YOLO paint is available (mostly for the artists) Professor Austin Roorda demonstrates being part of the Oz experiment | photo by Austin Roorda, courtesy of the University of California, Berkeley
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
British artist claims he has created paint in the 'new' colour announced by scientists - and he's selling 150ml bottles for £10,000
Scientists shocked the world last week when they announced they'd been able to manipulate the human eye into seeing a new colour. The experts at University of California, Berkeley managed the impressive feat by firing lasers at a specific cones inside the retina of the human eye. Now, a British artist claims he has created a paint of the new shade – described as a 'profoundly saturated peacock green'. Stuart Semple from Dorset – already known for creating paints of the blackest black and the pinkest pink – is selling 150ml bottles of 'Yolo'. Semple wants to 'bridge science with art' by making the colour available to fellow painters to create profound new artworks. However, unless you're an artist, you're going to have to pay an outrageous price for it. Semple said in an Instagram post: 'Scientists have discovered a brand new colour! I've been up all night liberating it for you. 'This is Yolo and it's strictly for artists only.' The scientists have called their new colour olo, but Semple has used the name 'yolo' with the added 'y' standing for 'you'. The 150ml bottle of Yolo is for sale on Semple's website Culture Hustle at a whopping price of £10,000 ($13,300). However, presumably as part of a publicity stunt, the cost is reduced to just £29.99 if you say you are an artist by using the checkout code 'YOLO'. It's unclear if people will need to provide any credentials to prove that they really are an artist and get the substantial discount. However, the terms and conditions state: 'By using the code YOLO in the cart, you confirm that you are an artist and that you will be using this material for artistic applications only. 'To the best of your knowledge, information and belief, this YOLO material will not make its way into the hands of a non-artist.' The high frequency acrylic paint is currently 'being created' and is due to start shipping in three weeks. The artist said people can't properly see the colour on-screen, so it has to be witnessed in person. An image of a turquoise square has been shared by the researched to provide a sense of the colour, which they named 'olo' How did scientists create the new colour? Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley found a way to manipulate the human eye into seeing a brand-new colour. Their technique uses tiny doses of laser light to individually control up to 1,000 photoreceptors in the eye at one time. The laser is just one color (the same as a green laser pointer) but by primarily activating M cone cells in the eye, it can show people the new color, 'olo'. However, Yolo is essentially a physical approximation of the colour that a select group of researchers were exposed to in their lab experiments. As Semple admits, it is 'as close to this experience that we're ever going to get in physical form'. 'Whilst Yolo isn't exactly the same as firing a laser into your eyeball, the experience of the colour is as close as you'll ever get with a paint,' the product description says. 'This mix's specific blend of high-frequency pigments and brighteners is designed to stimulate specific wavelengths of visual experience. 'It's impossible to photograph the experience or to show it on a screen, so until you have this colour in your hands, you'll need to imagine it.' In the experiments detailed in a paper last week in Science Advances, five researchers had green laser light fired into their eyes to stimulate cells in the retina, called M cones. By stimulating individual M cones, the researchers were able to perceive the light as a 'a blue-green colour of unparalleled saturation'. 'It was like a profoundly saturated teal … the most saturated natural colour was just pale by comparison,' said Austin Roorda, a professor of optometry at UC Berkeley. Austin Roorda, a professor of optometry and vision science at UC Berkeley, demonstrates what it looks like to be part of the experiments As the researchers point out, their technique means subjects 'can be made to perceive different colors of the rainbow, unprecedented colours beyond the natural human gamut'. Semple admits 'the eye-popping laser technology' might remain within the confines of the lab, but Yolo 'brings the essence of this discovery to artists everywhere'. It's been created with 'a special blend of high-frequency pigments and brighteners' in order to 'evoke specific visual wavelengths'. Painting with Yolo gives 'a near-transcendent experience that echoes the original' creation, the product description adds. ANIMALS SEE USING COMPLEX STRUCTURES IN THEIR EYES Animals, including humans, have a variety of complex structures in their eyes which allow them to see. The pupil contracts to limit how much light is allowed in, much like a camera lens. Most animals have both cones and rods in their eyes, which are called photoreceptors and are found in the retina. Cones allow people to see colour and rods are sensitive to low-light levels which allows for a grey scale between black and white. Humans, and many other animals, have three types of cones which each absorbs different wavelength of lights. With short, medium and long wavelength cones, the range of cones allows for a range of vision which incorporates the visible light spectrum. This includes colours between red and blue - wavelengths ranging between 390 an 700 nm. Other species, including many birds, have four cones instead of three in a mutation known as tertrachromacy. This allows for animals to see light of an unusually short wavelength, which is normally considered to be UV light. These photoreceptors are triggered by light and then this produces an electrical signal as they change shape. Electrical signals are then carried to the brain via the optic nerve. Signals from both optic nerves are then brought together by the brain at a point called the optic chiasm where the brain compares the two images.
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
British artist claims he has created paint in ‘new' colour announced by scientists
A British artist claims to have replicated in paint a colour that scientists say they discovered by having laser pulses fired into their eyes. Stuart Semple created his own version of the blue-green colour based on the US research published in Science Advances, which he is selling on his website for £10,000 per 150ml jar – or £29.99 if you state you are an artist. In the experiment conducted at University of California, Berkeley, a laser was used to stimulate individual cells in the retinas of five researchers, pushing their perception of colour beyond its natural limits. Semple, who has previously made what he claims to be the world's blackest and pinkest paints, synthesised his version of the colour in a more low-tech manner. The artist mixed pigments, adding fluorescent optical brighteners that absorb ultraviolet light and re-emit it as visible blue light, making materials appear whiter or brighter. Using a spectrometer, which separates light into its constituent colours, he then analysed their intensity to best match his paint samples to the target hue. 'I've always thought that colour should be available to everybody,' said the artist, who also produced his own version of Yves Klein's famous ultramarine blue paint. 'I've fought for years to liberate these colours that are either corporately owned or scientists have staked a claim to, or have been licensed to an individual person.' The scientists named the colour olo. Semple, who called his version yolo, has form for irreverently reproducing colours only available to an exclusive few. When the artist Anish Kapoor bought the exclusive rights to the world's blackest paint, Semple made what he said was a blacker one and banned the Turner prizewinner from using it. Humans perceive the colours of the world when light falls on colour-sensitive cells called cones in the retina. There are three types of cones that are sensitive to long (L), medium (M) and short (S) wavelengths of light. Red light primarily stimulates L cones, while blue light chiefly activates S cones. But M cones sit in the middle and there is no natural light that excites these alone. The Berkley experiment produced a colour beyond the natural range of the naked eye because the M cones are stimulated almost exclusively. Its name olo comes from the binary 010, indicating that of the L, M and S cones, only the M cones are switched on. Semple said: 'I think they've triggered an experience in people that they're approximating to a colour. What I've done is tried to make an actual colour of that experience.' Austin Roorda, a vision scientist on the Berkley team, said he would buy a bottle of the paint, but not for £10,000. 'I might even commission my cousin who's an artist to do some work with this paint,' he said. 'It's impossible to recreate a colour that matches olo,' he added. 'Any colour that you can reproduce would just pale by comparison. It doesn't matter whether it's a paint or a swatch of colour or something or even a monochromatic laser, which generate the most saturated natural human colour experiences.' The scientist said he had also tried to recreate the colour by meticulously mixing two liqueurs: the slightly sweet melon-flavoured Midori and Blue Curacau, made from the dried peel of the bitter orange. 'It's a bit foul, Roorda said of the concoction's taste. 'But the more I drink, the more it looks like olo.'
