Travelling through the magic of colour
What was The Magic of Colour?
On Thursday 11th December 2025, DIY hosted an exciting event at Salford Museum and Gallery. Following their creative work throughout the autumn, DIY artists presented imaginative responses to the gallery’s ‘Exploring the Collection: Colour’ exhibition.
This included artistic pieces from DIY’s Visual Arts Group, theatre by DIY BUDS, and a film documenting the creative process. The event took place as part of UK Disability History Month, a campaign to promote of disability justice, understanding, and inclusion.
What happened at The Magic of Colour?
The event began with a warm welcome from DIY artists Becky and Robert, who shared how the gallery’s collection inspired their work.
Robert talked about how the project made him more aware of colours and shapes – both in the gallery and in nature. Becky explained how the project opened her eyes to the power of colour, and how it can inspire stories or emotions.
The group then introduced the ‘Magic of Colour’ film, a collaboration with filmmaker Hilary Easter-Jones. It showcased their creative adventures in the gallery.
Guests then enjoyed a series of short theatre pieces by DIY BUDS and viewed ‘Exploring the Collection: Colour’ for themselves.
Following this, everyone had the chance to view artwork by DIY’s Visual Arts group. Their work was combined to create a ‘stained glass window’, and sketchbooks were displayed to offer a glimpse into their creative process.
Refreshments were provided and attendees had the chance to chat with DIY artists about the project. Everyone was also invited to create their own zine.
What did visitors think about The Magic of Colour?
We asked people to give us feedback throughout by writing their thoughts on colourful ‘splodges’ of paint – or by completing an easy-to-read questionnaire.
Feedback about the event
“It’s like you’re walking into a church but it’s an art gallery where you see a stained glass window.”
“I think it was very enthusiastic and expressive in the way colour was shown.”
“It was informative but light-hearted. Very enjoyable.”
“I liked the use of the gallery as background and time for reflection during the event.”
Feedback about how it made people feel
“Calm, open – feeling that I’d maybe leave here and notice colours in a different way.”
“Uplifted in the light of the current state of the world.”
“Thoughtful – made me look at colours from a different perspective.”
“Warm – the use of colour makes me feel warm and vibrant and energised.”
What colours came to mind?
We also asked visitors to decide what colour best represented the event, and to tell us why.
“A mix of yellows and pinks, because you could tell people were happy and proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
“Orange – bright, sunny, vibrant and full of life, like all of DIY’s work.”
“Red – vibrant and stands out – it’s DIY’s colour.”
“Yellow because it’s a happy colour and a really happy environment.”
What did participants think about The Magic of Colour?
“My favourite thing was going into the Gallery, copying drawings and then colouring them in. I like drawing and coping things. I’ve drawn the man in a pub. I’ve copied him on a piece of paper…I’ve liked doing all different colours. Yellow’s a banana, red’s an apple, green can be an apple, green’s a tree, a cup is white. We act it out.”
Paul
“My favourite thing was the mirroring. I’ve been doing different actions and stuff. I’ve been learning how to keep up with the person I’m working with…Green makes me feel happy and bubbly . Orange makes me feel like sunshine and happy. Black makes you feel like a bit like down or upset. Yellow is quite nice and bright and quite happy. Blue makes you feel like a bit unhappy. Red makes me think of a bit like anger, like a danger sign.”
Robert
“I have been doing artwork on colour. I have been learning and understanding a lot about colour. I have been using it as an inspiration for art with printing . I’ve been learning about mixing colours and how color brings out your creativity and emotions. Also learning about colour gave us ideas for creating our characters and the story.”
Becky
How did we make The Magic of Colour?
Charlotte Little, DIY Gamechanger, had a key role in producing The Magic of Colour, focussing on marketing and communications. She collaborated with freelance event coordinator Sara Cocker – and Joseph, DIY’s Communications Specialist. Charlotte’s responsibilities include taking photographs and creating engaging short videos for social media. She also designed a striking poster and a special souvenir ticket given to attendees:
“I’ve probably developed how to believe in yourself – that you do actually know what you’re doing…It felt like I only had a short amount of time to get the word out to people. So I was a little bit panicky, but I’ve kind of learnt that if I actually stop stressing it will all come together. I’ve learnt more in depth with working with Canva…I’ve learnt how you can use animations to make little videos…If you didn’t come to the event, then you missed out on a really good event, but if you’ve missed out you can see our film and go on our socials like Facebook and Instagram and see what we got up to.”
Charlotte
As well as Charlotte and Sara’s fantastic work, this event was made possible thanks to the brilliant ongoing efforts of DIY artists, staff, and facilitators.
Visual artist Claire Hignett worked with members to explore techniques like mixing paints and layering colours; drama specialists Georgia Affonso, Olivia Schofield and Emerging Artist Maisie Holland facilitated activities with DIY BUDS to explore how we can respond to colour using different senses; and filmmaker Hilary Easter-Jones worked with members to create the accompanying film.
The Magic of Colour project is funded through the ‘Whose Art, Whose Culture Fund’ – Managed by Salford CVS on behalf of Salford City Council; monies from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund via Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
