Synaesthesia & Sound

Abstract

The creators collaborated to produce a short animated film documenting synaesthesiac sufferers' responses to specific orchestral sounds. It was the artists intent to contribute (through a mix of documentary animation and rigorous process) to the public understanding and knowledge about how synaesthesia operates and how it relates to the type of multi-sensory processing that we all engage in. The project set out to ascertain whether animations derived from synaesthetic combinations of sound and vision are rated as more aesthetically pleasing than animations in which sound and vision are combined arbitrarily, and therefore appeal to this ‘instinctive’ enjoyment of light, colour and music. The intention was to offer an arts-based perspective on the science of neuro-psychology, exploring the barriers between disciplines and media to be broken down. Moore recorded detailed descriptions of the subjects’ synaesthetic experiences to a range of sounds, which provided the basis for the animation. Once this visual vocabulary was generated the artist focused on the generation of a short film for a general audience; the scientist then used the film to test the public perception and understanding of synaesthesia.