TEAL BLUE VOYAGER
By:
August 16, 2024
One in a series of posts investigating what specific colors signify — via specific material contexts — to 25 semiotics practitioners from around the world. Cross-posted from our sister website SEMIOVOX.
Teal Blue Voyager is a beguiling hue that is invigorating and calming at the same time. Even more than that, for me, it is the colour of infinite potential for renewal.
This colour is not turquoise, nor is it simply teal. It doesn’t have the over-enthusiasm of a green teal nor the mysteriousness and sombreness of a dark teal. It is very close to peacock teal. This deep transcendent teal contains more blue than the ubiquitous teal, a dash of black, and a whisker of magenta. It has a lower saturation tonality that makes it inviting and warm. Yet its green and grey undertones provide us with mental energy, confidence, and strength.
I became aware of Teal Blue Voyager about 20 years ago. I frequently travelled by boat to Isla Palma, a natural reserve located in the middle of the ocean, two hours from Cartagena (Colombia). Every time I made the journey, I was mesmerised by the different shades of blue that appeared in the ocean, each creating its own melody. It seemed that the colours were singing through the waves, and my eyes always stopped at the murmuring and hypnotic “sound” of this deep shade of teal blue in the water. Its palpitating nature created a feeling of peace and spiritedness simultaneously, and it emanated a tranquillity that put me at ease while travelling on a bumpy boat. While looking at it, I experienced a sense of expansiveness and even exaltation. It often sent my brain to a place of mixed emotions — from being full of ideas to being profound and introspective, where anything and everything can happen. Since those trips, the Teal Blue Voyager has been an ever-present dream in my life.
I developed an obsession with this colour, to the point of collecting many pieces in this hue — from books and clothes to chairs and ornaments. My favourite example is a pair of boots I wore for almost seven years. What attracted me to them was their colour: introverted, not seeking attention, yet unconventional. I felt unique and creative when I wore them. Those boots opened conversations with friends, pushed my dress sense, and untangled my mind as I walked.
COLOR CODEX: SERIES INTRO by Josh Glenn | Martha Arango (Sweden) on FALUKORV RED | Audrey Bartis (France) on KYOTO MOSS | Maciej Biedziński (Poland) on SKIN-DEEP ORANGE | Natasha Delliston (England) on MARRAKECH MINT | Whitney Dunlap-Fowler (USA) on RESURRECTION CANARY BLUE | Josh Glenn (USA) on TOLKIEN GREEN | Aiyana Gunjan (India) on LETTERBOX RED | Sarah Johnson (Canada) on ARMY GREEN | Lucia Laurent-Neva (England) on TEAL BLUE VOYAGER | Rachel Lawes (England) on DEVIL GREEN | Charles Leech (Canada) on STORMTROOPER WHITE | William Liu (China) on PINING GREEN | Ramona Lyons (USA) on GOTH PURPLE | Sónia Marques (Portugal) on RUNAWAY BURRO | Max Matus (Mexico) on CALIFORNIAN BLUE | Chirag Mediratta (Canada / India) on AUROVILLE ORANGE | Clio Meurer (France) on PARIS LUMINOUS GREY | Serdar Patkin (Turkey / England) on AMBIENT AMBER | Maria Papanthymou (Russia / Greece) on AGALMATOLITE WHITE | Vijay Parthasarathy (USA) on ALPHONSO YELLOW | Greg Rowland (England) on LAUNDROMAT FUTURA | Tim Spencer (England) on ELECTRO-EROTIC COBALT | Ximena Tobi (Argentina) on VILLA MISERIA BRICK | Alfredo Troncoso (Mexico) on BORGES GLAUQUE.
COLOR CODEX is one of several cross-over series published by both HILOBROW and its sister site, SEMIOVOX. Also see, for example: SEMIO OBJECTS | COVID CODES | CODE-X | TAKING THE MICKEY.