Synesthesia and Cymatics

This is about the fifth time I have read this article on synesthesia.  I find the topic to be fascinating.  I think one of the main reasons I keep reading about this phenomenon is that I’m secretly hoping that I will wake up and have spontaneously manifested this trait.  My first interest in this topic came from the neurological standpoint.  I am intrigued by the way the human mind works, reasons, and processes information.  I love reading about human cognition and everything that falls under; synesthesia does just that.  I like to consider this type of ability from a philosophical viewpoint as well due to the fact that the senses determine our reality.  Because synesthetes have these connections between sound and color, sound and taste, and graphemes and color it is quite easy to make the assumption that they perceive reality in a different way than the rest of us.  Therefore, the people who experience synesthesia experience reality in a completely unique way that I can only hope to image.  Which brings me to the next point:  synesthesia in art.  In my experience, art in simply a medium in which people express their unique views on reality and the way they experience life.  Synesthesia in art allows non-synesthetes to experience what synesthetes experience on a daily basis.  The film we watched in class served as a form of synesthetic art that translates music into a visual medium.  Each sound corresponded to a different color or shape creating for a beautiful visual embodiment of the musical piece.  I thought that the scientific field of cymatics goes hand in hand with synesthesia.  This is mostly due to my belief that through cymatics a new art form can be born.  In the video, we see that sound is used to create shapes; I think that this can be developed and musicians can begin to make visual art.

Initial film response:  I really liked this film.  Visual music is beautiful to watch.  I fell like this film really captured the music in an unique visual way that reflected the music itself.  The music was vibrant and “jazzy” and I really felt that in the visual aspects of the film as well.  I saw that in the designs and shapes especially.  I also liked how the designs, shapes, and lines came together at certain points as the music built and then exploded into more color and designs as the music crescendoed.