Thursday, September 23, 2010

Short article about synaesthesia and art in New Scientist


I've noticed that there is a brief article about synaesthesia and art in the September 18th 2010 edition of New Scientist magazine, number 2778 on page 39. It is part of the larger article "Windows to the Mind" by Jessica Griggs, or in the online magazine it's titled "Six ways that artists hack your brain".

There is one bit in this article that I think could be a bit misleading - "Since the brain can't tell whether a signal was generated within the brain or externally, synaesthetes see the shapes as if they came from the eye." This is a reference to music to colour/shape synaesthesia. I experience colours and forms evoked by listening to music, and I do not "see" the synaesthesia as if it came from the eye. I see such stuff in my mind's eye. Generally the difference between "real" sensations and synaesthesia sensations is very clear to me. I cannot speak for "projector" synaesthetes who "see" their synaesthesia visions "out there" and not in the mind's eye, but I do believe that they are also able to distinguish between sensations from the outer world and sensations originating from synaesthesia. But having said this, I guess I should point out that today I found myself holding a photograph against a backdrop of a brown fence, just to see whether my subjective sensations of a very particular shade of brown could be attributed to the objective appearance of the subject of the photograph, or instead could only be attributed to a newly acquired synaesthesia association between what was in the photo and that exact shade of brown. I've concluded that it is most likely that I've now got a new type of colour synaesthesia for a most odd and obscure category of things. Every day my life takes on a new form of subjective weirdness. It's a good thing that mindreading is only fantasy. I'd like to keep this stuff to myself!

"Brain-hacking art: Getting your wires crossed"
New Scientist
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727781.500-brainhacking-art-getting-your-wires-crossed.html

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