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Synaesthetic Painting.....

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By synaesthete (Contact - View My Woyano)
Published Mon 12 Mar 2007, 281 Views, 3 Comments

How do I start along the surreal road of explaining synaesthesia and what I paint, when most people usually assume I'm probably talking about some strange phenomena which may involve synthetic fabrics of some description, coupled with a power to see auras.

I have no amazing powers, I see no auras, and although I do have a great interest in fabric, I've never come accross any 'synaesthetic' ones (although this could be interseting!)

Synaesthesia is basically a merging or mixing up of the senses, ie; when I hear any sound I get an abstract visual in my head and the same occurs with taste, smell and touch. Some synaesthetes are known to taste words or people...and various other, even stranger sense mixings.

 Many people think of the days of the week or numbers as having colours, and this is basically it. I believe everyone is born synaesthetic...ask a small child to draw the sound of a trumpet or footsteps in gravel and they dont even question it, but no-one past the age of primary school is generally encouraged to explore their abstract mind or what has inspired it.

I've simply worked out a way to transpose these abstract shapes, textures and colours from my head onto canvas and in that way I create unique voice portraits, often commissions, as everyone has a completely different voice.

I'm currently working on an exhibition called PerSona, with award-winning photographer Cambridge Jones, which will be previwed at The Theatre Royal, Brighton during the whole of May 2007. We show a double portrait of a well-known face or voice...His classical photographic portrait next to my abstract sound one.

Well, that's a start anyway, on my way of thinking...

If you want to see more, visit

 www.philippastanton.com

www.cambridgejones.com

or www.cambridgejones.com/persona for a preview of some of the work involed in PerSona



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Category: Knowledge, Snippets, Entertainment
Tags: art , colour, sound
Geo-tags: Brighton, Theatre Royal
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    3 Comments

  1.  
    Dr. Fallon ~ 19 months ago
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    Interesting. I've read Richard Cytowic's "The Man Who Tasted Shapes," and I've discussed synaesthesia on other lists.

    I myself have often suspected that I was mildly synaesthsic. I see music. Always have. Shapes, colors, undulations, waves, jagged edges, etc.

    I can't say that any of my others senses are crossed or mixed, or at least if there is a melding of senses, I've trained myself to ignore it.
    [ reply ]
    1.  
      georgie ~ 19 months ago
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      Thank you synaesthete, for kinding posting this description of your voice and sound portraits. I spent some time looking at the websites you mentioned, and reading about your experiences. What struck me the most were the paintings of children's voices and laughter, and how these light, whimsical colors and shapes contrast with the deeper, darker tones of adult voices. I loved the sharp reds and oranges of the "applause" portrait, and the rich gold flecks of "Dalai Lama". If anyone has not yet taken some time to look at synaesthete's creative work, please do, you don't know what you're missing!
      [ reply ]
      1.  
        japaneseboats ~ 19 months ago
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        Thank you for this - and good luck with your exhibition. I too am a synaesthete - days of week, months,and some other concepts, all seen as colours.First became aware at the age of 10yrs when my father asked me what day it was, to which I gave him the answer as a colour. He then 'tested' me with others and I never faltered. I totally forgot about it until a couple of years ago when I read a newspaper article about a composer ( I forget the name) who was a synaesthete and realised that that was the description for my experience. I don't experience any crossed sense of sound - but at an exhibition of Kandinsky paintings at Tate Modern last year I became to feel increasingly uncomfortable/unnerved during the viewing. Nothing in the pictures themselves upset me - though I did not like them much. But I subsequently discovered that he was a synaesthete who 'heard' colours. (Or was it the other way round?) I am an art lover and collector and frequently attend art exhibitions and realise now that I have had this peculiar sensation before at some exhibitions without knowing why. Nothing to with whether I liked the art itself or not. But generally it's a pleasant thing to experience.
        [ reply ]
        1.  
          AdGuy
          22 votes thumbs up thumbs down
          This is my two cents...

             
          Hey you know AdGuy always gets the last word! ;)

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