April 2023 (3)
A new book
- Painting Music by Ninghui Xiong
After more
than 20 years as a successful and versatile synesthete painter, Chinese artist Ninghui
Xiong has written a book about the theories behind synesthetic music painting
and his own experience. The book is profusely illustrated with his own
beautiful works and has forewords by Lawrence E. Marks, Greta Berman and Pat
Duffy.
You can preview or buy the ebook Painting Music (April 2023) at either of these two links:
April 2023 (2)
Pat Duffy’s latest post on JTTS, “The Unique Charm of an ADD Writer”, is a Q&A with author Tyler Gore, who has attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD). The author discusses the effect of his neurodivergent lens on his writing style in his hilarious book, My Life of Crime. Tyler is also a synesthete.
Check out all of Pat Duffy’s articles and interviews in the Journey Through the Senses online magazine. They’re all about neurodiversity awareness and celebration, which is the star theme of the JTTS organisation and its website, and many discuss synesthesia.
Previous articles:
April 2023 (1)
Synesthete Art at World Art Dubai '23
Since it was created in 2015, this major Art Fair has showcased art from more than 30 countries. At this year's fair in March, synesthete painters Ali Al-Ezzi and Yehia O. took part, and in fact they met each other at the event, as chance had it they were exhibiting on neighbouring stands. In the words of Ali, "Dubai is now regarded as the first Arab city to have publicly displayed artworks directly inspired by synaesthesia. Many people of various nationalities were astounded by this perceptual phenomenon!"
Ali Al-Ezzi's synesthetic weekday paintings and other work on show in Dubai
March 2023
A musical collaboration between two multifaceted and multitalented artists, one from the UK, the other from Argentina. Pat Duffy finds out about the visual and literary inspiration behind Tim Layden's and Gaby Cardoso's project in the second part of her interview on the Journey Through the Senses Website.
February 2023
New
podcasts, videos and talks
If you’re looking for some interesting podcasts, videos, reels or zoomy things to listen to or watch about different aspects of synesthesia, here’s 5 recent ones. Whether you choose 1 or 2 or enjoy all of them, they’re all well worth a listen!
1. Mirror-touch synaesthesia: Feeling other people's pain
A BBC Reel on empathy and mirror touch synesthesia by Aurore DuPont Sagorin, also featuring Jamie Ward and CC Hart.
Watch "Empathy to the Extreme" here
2. Maike Preissing’s new Synesthesia podcasts.
What is it like to live with different forms of synesthesia? What do we know about synesthesia from a scientific point of view? In this series of podcasts, Maike Preissing, a psychologist & synesthesia artist, invites synesthetes from all around the world to tell their story. 4 episodes already available.
Listen to them on Spotify (here) or Apple Podcast
3. How We’re Wired - When our senses intermingle
How can
some people taste sounds? What’s happening in the brain of those who feel
other’s sensations as their own? And why might we have evolved some of these extraordinary
abilities in the first place?
In this
focus episode of How We’re Wired, join producer Dr Eva Higginbotham as she
explores the science of synaesthesia – from a massage therapist who can ‘feel’
other people’s pain, to the neuroscience of ‘tasting’ words.
With CC
Hart, James Wannerton, Michael Banissy and Jamie Ward.
Listen to How We're Wired here
4. Color MAGIC!
Susan Davis
invites a special guest, synesthetic artist and children's author Christy Gurley of Starshine
Designs, to tell us all about Synesthesia.
5. Bone Stories: synesthesia, neurodiversity, and anatomy in colour by CC Hart
From the Colour
Research Society of Canada.
“Synesthesia tends to defy the neat boundaries established by neuroscience research. In my case, the colour I see with graphemes and lexemes gets transferred to grayscale radiography. Witnessing bright pink femurs, chartreuse humuri, and SLAP lesions the shades of flames are ordinary aspects of my workday.”
January 2023 (2)
Synaesthesia Café - Sunday, Jan. 29th, 5pm – 8pm GMT (noon - 3pm EST)
This is number three in a series of Synaesthesia Café video-meetings organised by Dr. Sean A. Day. It’s an informal get-together via Zoom of synesthetes, researchers, and any other interested parties, just to chat, ask each other questions and to share stories and experiences.
If you wish to take part, please email Sean asking for an invite and specify the email address you wish to use to join if it is different from the address used for the invitation request. Amongst other things, this helps give Sean an idea of how many to expect.
Sean will email you a Zoom link on the 29th January a few hours before the meeting begins and you can hang around for as long or as little as you like! The timing is to make it as convenient as possible to include attendees from Europe and the USA.
If you wish to join, please email your invitation request to: sean.day@tridenttech.edu
Many thanks and hopefully see you there!
(By James Wannerton and Sean Day)
January 2023 (1)
In the pipeline: an online gallery!
A team of
synesthetes are setting up an online gallery to provide visibility for synesthetic
art. The inspiration comes from the exhibition of synesthetes’ paintings and
sculptures that was held in October 2022 in Alcalá la Real, Spain, linked to the
VII International Synesthesia Congress. This initiative will help reach a wider
public, who will be able to enjoy the artists’ works all together on one inspiring
reference website.
Here's the
link if you want to know more, see an excellent short video with all the works
at the exhibition or even make a small contribution to help it get off the
ground.
Wishing you
the best of luck!
December 2022
Music, the fuel of art and spaceships: Synesthete Timothy B. Layden talks about his science fiction book Dreams of Laika
Talented synesthetic artist Tim Layden has recently been interviewed by Pat Duffy about his science fiction novel Dreams of Laika. It’s an original story that will be greatly enjoyed by anyone with an interest in musical synesthesia, future fantasy worlds, outer space and visual thinking.
Read Pat Duffy’s interview with Tim on the Journey Through the Senses site here
See more of Timothy B. Layden’s art here
October 2022 (2)
"The
Astonishment of Human Diversity: a memory and an appreciation of the late Peter
Brook". Pat Duffy is back on the Journey Through the Senses site to talk about
when she got to interview the playwright at his New York apartment in 2014 and later saw
some of her own experiences and those of her synesthete friend Carol Steen
reflected in Peter’s work on the U.S. stage, as part of a
October 2022 (1)
Synesthesia
Congress in Granada, Spain this month! See you there!
VII
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS "SYNESTHESIA, SCIENCE AND ART", GRANADA,
SPAIN
Wed. 26th
October – Sat. 29th October 2022
More than
40 presentations scheduled (long and short) on all aspects of synesthesia. Most
presentations to be given on-site
Also:
“Fragrance
Triggering” workshop created by Ninghui Xiong and Pat Duffy
“Electrónica
para artistas y sinestesia” workshop by María José de Córdoba
Posters
International
exhibition of synesthetic art
Piano
concert by Svetlana Rudenko
Projection
of MuVi6 2022 synesthesia and visual music videos
Registrations
are welcome: see links below for how to sign up to attend. On-site and online
attendance available.
If you
attend in person you´ll get to know the beautiful Spanish towns of Granada and
Alcalá la Real, as well as meeting plenty of members of the international
synesthesia community, scientists, researchers, teachers, artists and of course…
synesthetes!
I’ll be
giving a presentation “The Synesthesia Tree: a New Resource for the Synesthesia
Community” on the first day (Wednesday) and I’ll be involved in the Fragrance
Triggering workshop on Friday afternoon. So if you attend… see you there!
August 2022
Synesthesia-related PhD Position in Switzerland advertised:
PhD Position - Cognitive Psychology (Synaesthesia and Memory)
UniDistance Suisse - Faculty of Psychology
Place of work: Brig (Switzerland)
Start of work: 1 November 2022. Other starting dates can be negotiated.
This position is advertised here.
July 2022 (2)
The 'Perception Census' is launched today (22 July) - why not take part?
Jamie Ward writes:
By taking part, you’ll be invited to complete a series of fun, interactive and engaging tasks, exploring themes such as colour, illusion, time, sound and music, and more. The full study involves ten different sections, each exploring different aspects of perception and its diversity among us. Today we are launching the core section – The Fundamentals of Perception – along with three others: Sound and Music, Body and Belief, and Time. Further sections of the Census will be released during the summer, covering many other topics, such as how our brain’s expectations influence what we perceive.
Every response we get is hugely valuable. We would love to have more people with synaesthesia be a part of the project, but anyone over 18 can take part.
Each section of the Census takes no more than 20 minutes (usually less), and you’ll learn a great deal about your own powers of perception along the way.
See the full information here
Log in for the study here
University of Sussex / University of Glasgow
July 2022 (1)
Recent Reading Roundup!
June 2022 (1)
Pat interviews Barb Rosenstock, author of "The Noisy Paintbox"
If you have any young readers at home who might like an introduction to the colourful combination of synesthesia and art, they will love Barb Rosenstock's book about Wassily Kandinsky's multisensorial childhood. Pat Duffy loved it too and so she interviewed Barb on the Journey Through the Senses site, where they chat about Kandinsky, singing colours and kindergarten synesthetes. The book is beautifully illustrated by Mary Grandpré and no, you don't have to be young to read it :D
Read the interview on the JTTS site here!
(I've just noticed the book exists in Spanish too, so ¡olé! It might make a nice gift for learners.)
May 2022
Online symposium, free to attend!
“Synaesthesia and the Student”, a virtual symposium, will be hosted May 27th and 28th, 2022. Organised by the IASAS. There are 16 presentations and the speakers include Daphne Maurer, Julia Simner and Anton Sideroff-Dorso. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the current research into developmental synesthesia, and to connect with other synesthetes across the globe in our chatrooms and lounges.
Fri May 27th: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT (3 p.m. - 10 p.m. CET or WAT)
Sat May 28th: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. CET or WAT
April 2022 (3)
New Journey Through the Senses interview: Pat Duffy talks to author T. Jefferson Parker about
his new book, A Thousand Steps, in a chat about psychedelics, Laguna Beach
1968, the West Coast promise and how he weaves synesthesia, humour, emotion and
sensitivity into his best-selling detective novels set in southern California. T.J. is no stranger to the syn scene, as
Read the interview here
Explore the story map of T. Jefferson's book and places of inspiration here
(Update for clarity: the story map is from T. Jefferson Parker's facebook page and was created by Nicole Robson of Trident Media Group - Literary Agency.)
April 2022 (2)
Running until April 30: new synesthetic art exhibition in Berlin backed by Journey Through the Senses. Marina WitteMann
Exhibition dates: Saturday, 9 April to Saturday, 30 April 2022
Haze Gallery, Bülowstraße 11, 10783 Berlin, Germany
#3380ARTatBerlin | HazeGallery presents from 8th April 2022 the exhibition SHAPE OF COLOUR by the artist Marina WitteMann, curated by Irina Rusinovich, who says:
"Marina WitteMann, being a synesthete, feels the world a little deeper and more fully than the other persons, she sees in color the emotional states of surrounding people, vivid experiences, pain, anger and euphoria. That is why the works presented at the exhibition strive to break out of the framework of generally accepted art forms. That which had no volume, breaks through the two-dimensional space, color acquires shape, paper — texture, depth. Each work at the exhibition is an outspoken image formed through the prism of the artist’s perception, through the fusion of several sensory levels at once."
Find out more here
April 2022 (1)
The Tree has its first ring
Today, April 6th, the Synesthesia Tree is one year old. El Árbol de la Sinestesia is just a bit older - February 1st is its birthday. It's been a good year for growth... friendship... and for our syn community in general, so thanks to all our readers and we're looking forward to branching out in future!
Vice Short Documentary on Synesthesia: a New York video production studio is looking for synesthetes to participate in its latest creation.
"Hi,
My name is Heather Hoang and I’m a producer at Vice. I work on a team creating original, short documentaries for Vice digital.
I’m currently doing research for our video series, My Life With, the goal of which is to spread awareness of psychological or neurological diagnoses from the perspectives of people who live with them.
I’d love to have an episode that provides thoughtful insight on what it’s like to have synesthesia through the perspective of a synesthete.
My team and I are currently looking for individuals who are interested in being featured in this episode about synesthesia.
We are looking for someone comfortable appearing on-camera and speaking on their experiences. We are planning on having a very minimal crew between 3-4 people, including myself.
We are only looking for individuals in the U.S — my team and I are based in NYC, but I am able to travel anywhere in the U.S!
If you’re interested, please reach out to my colleague and I at: heather.hoang@vice.com & sally.burtnick@vice.com "
Here's the link to the channel and My Life With series
and more by Vice here
March 2022 (3)
Call to synesthete artists: Exhibition of synesthetic art to complement the Synesthesia Congress to be held in Southern Spain in October this year.
Timothy Layden says:
"We would like to invite you to participate in The International Exhibition of Synesthesia and art: The physical/digital challenge.
The exhibition will take place in the Gallery Capuchinos en Alcalá la Real (Jaén) Spain, from the 29th October until the 20th of November 2022. This is a parallel event being held alongside The VII International Congress of Synesthesia, Science and Art The digital/physical challenge (Live+Digital Conference); a digital gallery will also be created for the work to be shown online.
You can submit up to 3 images to be printed onto canvas for exhibition: Images must be 300 dpi of no larger than 50 by 70 cm; (images submitted will be printed of to 50 x70 cm canvas)
Please express your interest via email to timothyblayden@gmail.com and artecitta@hotmail.com by 10th April 2022."
March 2022 (2)
“Synaesthesia and the Student”, a virtual symposium, will be hosted May 27th and 28th, 2022. This dynamic online event is organised by the IASAS. Abstracts can be submitted by March 20th, 2022.
March 2022 (1)
Journey Through the Senses is supporting a Piano, Choreography & Lights Concert at the
Whale Theatre in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, near Dublin, Ireland next week
(Sunday, March 20th).
"We explore the nature of Synaesthesia, blending senses and perceptions, when music & sound is reflected in gestures, movements and coloured lights.”
Zoe
Marinello-Kohn is a professional ballet dancer from San Diego, US,
choreographer, actor, artist and dance instructor. She is a poly synesthete,
experiencing multiple types of synesthesia and her unique perceptions often
influence her creative work. Zoe's art is inspired by self exploration and a
drive to understand the reaches of consciousness. "As If Dancing Through
Watercolors".
Dr.
Svetlana Rudenko is a concert pianist and researcher on Synaesthesia and
Multisensory design for AR & VR, Technological University Dublin.
Sterling Baldwin is an lighting engineer and programmer, who worked with software on Climate change research, US.
More information and tickets to the live event here.
"In pt 1, "Listening to Fragrance", we learned what the flower fragrance sounded like; now, in pt 2, we can see what the flower fragrance looks like -- in a photo of the painting "Homage to Zhang Yu" by contemporary painter, Ninghui Xiong -- who shows his painting and describes what led to its creation." Patricia Lynne Duffy reflects on it all here.
“Linda’s Rest” will be streamed as part of this year’s Radiophrenia this Sunday, February 20th at 4pm GMT. It is a 40-minute "sonic essay" by the artist, educator and community organiser Ayse Koklu based on author Monique Truong's novel, Bitter in the Mouth, which has an unforgettable synesthete main character. Ayse will be making many key points similar to those covered in "The Inner and Outer Landscapes that Shape Identity", Pat Duffy’s Q&A with the author. Radiophrenia is a radio art festival and temporary FM radio station broadcasting from Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts, exploring current trends in sound and transmission arts.
Click to visit Radiophrenia and listen to the broadcast (20 Feb, 16h GMT)
Click to read Pat’s interview with Monique
An excellent research article on the co-occurrence of the different types of synesthesia by Jamie Ward and Julia Simner has been published this week (18 January 2022): “How do Different Types of Synesthesia Cluster Together? Implications for Causal Mechanisms”.
You can read it here on the Sage Journals page or download the pdf.
Planning and holding exhibitions, concerts and much more around the world. Embracing neurodivergence and bringing together the arts, the sciences, music and technology. That's the mission of Journey Through The Senses. JTTS and The Tree announced their collaboration today and we’re looking forward to seeing where this will take us!
Read “A Synesthesia Tree grows in Syn Web City”: Pat Duffy’s interview with Pau at JTTS
This international nonprofit organisation is building a team of collaborators with top names in many fields. Daniel Schuster, James Wannerton and Appelusa lead the main team and the synesthesia world is also well represented by leading scientific figures like Jamie Ward, Julia Simner and Anton Sidoroff-Dorso, with writer Pat Duffy taking care of the literature aspect.
Daniel says: “Journey Through The Senses – Los Angeles, Fall 2023 is an exploration and celebration of the vast universe of human sensory experience and perception. Through the lens of art, science technology, performance and interactive installations, together we can discover the marvels of what we humans can create. The exhibition will also explore the wonders of the human mind and the human experience through neurodiversity, inherited synaesthesia, savantism, people with autism with unique skills and an interactive exploration of our “classic” 5 senses (plus a few more!).
Following
our exhibition in Los Angeles in 2023, our goal is that the exhibition will
then travel to Paris, Berlin, and other major cities of the world as we
continue this world-wide collaboration. Our aim is to eventually create a
permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian.”
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