I love photography and music, and when I was trying to choose a theme, I discovered that some artists use their ability to overlap their sense of sound, taste smell and touch to create ideas in images, so my theme for this batch is synaesthesia.

Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian artist, attempted to use sound in his images. I found a very interesting link about him, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3653012/The-man-who-heard-his-paintbox-hiss.html, I think the most famous example of synaesthesia is The Scream, by Edvard Munch, where he used color, lines and shapes to evoke emotion, here is a link about The Scream. http://legomenon.com/meaning-of-the-scream-1893-painting-by-edvard-munch.html, in the article it explains how Munch used the colors in the sky and water, the wavy lines in the background, and the contrast between the figure and the two friends to evoke the idea of hearing “the enormous, infinite scream of nature”. The key for me is that the image can be “heard”.

So you can use color, lines and shapes or whatever you would like, that expresses through the senses your fresh idea. Be as free as you would like, I am hoping for lots of submissions!

Brilliant idea Kathryn! This theme ought to get the creative juices flowing....

Thank you very much, Linda. I myself have started to look at photographs differently after researching for ideas in this batch.

Once again, I'll go first:

 

http://www.clydebeamer.com/2010/09/fuel/

 

For me this image stimulates two additional senses, touch and taste.

No photo, just a link

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Shereshevsky

It is interesting to note that synesthesia is now seen as a brain development problem, rather than a talent. There was a Spanish artist who painted village scenes as if seeing around corners. I'm not sure what condition/ talent he had, but the paintings were fascinating.

 

"Although sometimes spoken of as a "neurological condition," synesthesia is not listed in either the DSM-IV or the ICD classifications, since it most often does not interfere with normal daily functioning. Indeed, most synesthetes report that their experiences are neutral, or even pleasant. Rather, like color blindness or perfect pitch, synesthesia is a difference in perceptual experience and the term "neurological" simply reflects the brain basis of this perceptual difference (see below for associated cognitive traits)".

 

Quoting a programmer's mantra: "It's not a bug, it's a feature"

 

:-)

True enough. I suspect that mild synesthesia could be fun (maybe not as well) and could be seen as an advantage for some artists. In the past I would doubt that would be the case. Many "talents" that we have, are lost in development as they occupy brain capacity without giving material benefit (use it or lose it). With the world we live in now (at least for us lucky ones) things like synesthesia can be seen in a different light. I must admit to being fascinated by it when I first came across it.

My interpretation might be a little far fetched but as this batch is difficult and there doesn't seem to be a lot of movement going on, here goes:

 

http://1x.com/photo/220929/group:160:all

 

Synesthesia might be about seeing what you hear. In this case, you can't hear (because it's a picture, duh...) and you can't see (can't see the bass player, can't see the piano player) but hopefully, those two senses are somehow "interrogated" simultaneously by the picture.

 

Another interpretation is that the bass is dark (shadow) and the piano is bright (blown-out scores)...

 

Oliver Sacks is one of my favorite people to listen to....he has had such a variety of neurological disorders over time...and he still has a good sense o humor...sometimes I cannot believe all the things he copes with regarding dysfunctional parts of his brain. :)

 

He wrote a small piece here on Synethesia. and on this page there are wonderful interviews with other people also...

 

http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/features/2009/02/synesthesia/

 

After reading this I became more aware of what it was...but less capable of finding a way to make a photo...

 

Very few people have the condition. And when they do it is not the same for any two people..

 

In other words no two people necessarily have the same things they hear, or they see...and associate.

 

I do not have this condition. Not sure if that is good or bad. :)

 

Since it is not universal..how can it be shown so that it makes a connection for anyone looking at it.

 

It is even difficult to talk about.

 

The painting Scream...when I see it if I had to paint it..I think I might have gone for purple or red..:))

 

So I am just an observer this time around. But it is very interesting indeed

Phyllis

 

http://www.1x.com/photo/132102/group:160:all Do you smell the spices? Is this already synaesthesia or just a perception from experience? As a child, I used to see the Arabic numerals on a watch in colours. This has gone a bit and is replaced by the sensation of odours when watching pictures.

 

See now this is a perfect example of what I was saying in that U.S. group about context. I didn't even see the bass player's shadow till I went back and read the rest of your post. I tend to look at the links before I read the posts. I much prefer to experience the photos more like you would in a gallery, just walking by and looking. My son, who now lives in NYC, is a piano player. His piano is right behind me in my office. We used to share this room and I have many memories of his playing. As soon as I saw your image, I began to hear him play in my mind, almost as if he was here. So for me your image works without the shadow!

 

How was that Woody Allen moovie... whatever works!

Thank you everyone for all the interesting submissions so far. I want to share an example of a photograph on 1x by Kirk Cypel from the USA group, "Fire on E.13th"

http://1x.com/photo/27227/all:user:24316

 

I love this photograph so much, the smells and sounds and chaos of a fire through the use of the lines and curves of the smoke, the grainy texture, and the crowd of men counterpoint to the man in ladder all come together and bring me into this scene.

Kathryn,

 

Would you say if something on the picture produces sound, or smells, or something looks really tasty, or maybe even someone is touching something - it is enough for the purposes of this batch?

 

Anna

 

Yes, thanks Anna, great ideas, :)

 

Perhaps this can evoke another sense. Sound, touch, smell, taste - they are all there. http://1x.com/photo/293137/all:user:269613

 

that one left the smell and taste in my room :-)

 

Well, now that is really amazing. Maybe you have this condition? I cant even imagine seeing Arabic numerals on a watch in colors. This sounds almost metaphysical..ie..like another dimension.

 

Was it a positive experience?

 

Odors when watching photos I think we might all have a little of via association. But your other experience is amazing to me..

 

Thanks for sharing.

Phyllis

 

Yes okay with Kathryn's answer of yes...to you...I think showing that is possible.....

 

thanks,

Phyllis

 

very confusing, that does that mean?

 

Kathryn

veryt

 

 

I mean, what does That mean

 

Kathryn,

 

You ask,

I mean, what does that mean?

I am not sure what you are asking...but let me state it differently and maybe that will help to clarify?

 

Anna has asked you if it would it be enough to make a picture that shows sound, smells, or something that looks really tasty....etc.. for this batch..

 

You answered yes.

 

My response was to you which meant 'great' because making a photo like Anna describes seems more possible to me than trying to show, whereas

Synesthesia seemed more difficult.

 

Did that clarify?

I may have run out of time. :) How long will the batch be open...'about'...

 

Thanks,

phylis

Phylis, thanks so much for your clarification!

I believe that batches are closed when selections are made, so I would probably wait until batch 13 selections are posted.

 

 

Martin had advised me before to close a batch when there are very roughly 40 pictures in the batch, to ensure a pool for selection.

Katherine -Thanks for such a challenging subject. This really is a difficult thing to accomplish and I had to think long and hard about how to portray a sound through an image. This may be too personal of a sound memory for others to "hear" but I was trying to give viewers the sound of the gentle hum of the outboard motor on a quiet ride up the river. http://1x.com/photo/297166/group:160:all

 

Thank you Anna,

 

Thank you Paula, I am sorry that the subject is a bit too challenging, I have learned a lot from this experience, ;)

 

 

No, don't apologize - challenges are always good, they make us think and strive for something and, even if we fail, we learn something in trying. I appreciate the amount of thought you put into this and am enjoying seeing what others have come up with.

here is my take on synaesthesia, for me any photo that can transport the viewer to a time or memory in their past meets this definition, be it sound, taste, colours.. they all one common element to bring up a memory for the viewer. :-)

 

http://1x.com/photo/298481/group:160:all

 

This photo of the owner working on his 1929 Durant, has received many comments on how it reminds them of there fathers/ grandfather first car and they start reliving there memories of their first ride in a car.

 

hope you enjoy it ,

 

MarcB

 

I have a thought on this, if I may.

My immediate response was to say "no, that's not enough. It is not what is presented to us but HOW it is presented to us that matters".

But having read all the post in this thread about synesthesia and how it is experienced by the apparently very few people who does, I'm not so sure how this particular "experience", "feeling" or "state of mind" can be not only conveyed in a picture but also executed in the viewer. Is that even possible, if the viewer is not one of the few? I can understand the example of Munch's "the scream" but honestly I can't hear it....I can only imagine the sound. Just like I can't smell Magrittes pipe, because it is in fact not a pipe....only a painting of it.

I know this is not a direct answer to your question Anna, but these thoughts emerged from it, so......

 

Dan

 

I understand, Dan, your thoughts and I thought the same a few days ago but I realized that depicting senses being triggered, so to speak, might be good enough. Kathryn, our King for the batch, confirmed. I'd say - let's go with that.

Dan, I agree with you and have written about this above your post.

 

At the same time, I believe that even though Kathryn's exercise is hard, and I think impossible....it is great because i personally learned so much about this disorder/condition. And it is so interesting.

 

I would be that each of us will take this challenge and from it get many great ideas over time. And we will remember this one.

 

I for one am thankful for the knowledge that came from it.

 

And now that there is a new solution and approach maybe we can find ways..

 

The only suggestion I have is that since this was so hard for us..maybe we should give it more time? I am sure Martin would be fine with this...

 

I know I need more time...to go through files for something interesting...maybe. :))

 

But it is also okay with me if you don't want to continue. :)

 

Phyllis

synaesthesia is common enough but very few persons realized that they are experiencing it. Take for example my photo, most persons would say nice old car, but many others would instantly get flash back of their first ride in it (motion) others remember the smell of the new car etcetera.

 

the photos that would trigger this emotion or sensation would be tied to strong events in a persons life iie disasters such as 9/11, weddings, achievements..

 

this just my simplified take on this great subject.

 

Some scientists estimate it 1 in 2000, not very rare but still not common. I did not know that what I have was synesthesia until a few years ago, so for me it's easy to believe that yes, few people know they have it.

Phyllis, I guess I missed a few posts:-)

 

And I agree that it is a very interesting thread and phenomenon. Even though I dont think I'm "suffering" from synaesthesia at all, I do have one similarity. There are a certain smell, wich I can't identify, that gives me very strong associations to my childhood. I don't know what causes this particular smell, but when I sometimes (not very often) run into this smell, it's like I'm smelling my own childhood........just a little curiosity that might relate to the subject:-)

 

Dan

 

Wikipedia has a rather short article on the neural basis of synesthesia:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_basis_of_synesthesia

 

where two leading theories are briefly described on the cause of synesthesia. One attributes it to the "cross-talk" of adjacent regions in the brain that are specialized for different sensory processing. The other attributes it to a weak or the absence of the inhibition of the feedback path of sensory signals.

 

Clearly the experience of synesthesia is natural or innate to those who are capable of experiencing it and is not built on learned experience. It is different from the experience for the rest who may have synthesized sensation through association learned from life experience, processed by the 'association area' of the brain.

 

So for the rest of us, we are hopeless in attempting to have the innate synesthesia experience, let alone of producing a photo reflecting that. I have sensed in this thread some "desperation" in trying to create a photo meeting Kathryn's challenge :-)

 

But then there is hope - in the same wiki article, it mentions that some psychedelic drug users report synesthesia-like experiences, although that is absolutely not something I would suggest or recommend our serious but "desperate" photographers to try :-)

 

So I think I would settle the second best option for the associated synthesized experience. Even that is hard. And I still don't have a clue :-)

 

Nevertheless, this is fun, thanks to Kathryn's original topic...

 

Shiwanlin...

Yes this is absolutely correct...

 

" It is different from the experience for the rest who may have synthesized sensation through association learned from life experience, processed by the 'association area' of the brain. "

 

Even if you have the condition - it is still impossible to show it because it is not the same for any two people...it is highly individual.

 

So I guess showing senses in a photo that we can all identify with in some way is much easier.

 

I am still looking for one. :)

Phyllis

This is a fascinating batch! A good theme should make people think about their photography in a new way. It is safe to say that this one has done just that.

 

The objective is not to make a photograph to spec, but to step outside of our accustomed photographic vernacular. In this sense it is impossible for a theme to be 'too hard' because there is nothing specific to be accomplished. Just take a step in the direction Kathryn has provided and see what happens!

I had a very distinct feeling of oxygen deprivation and raised pressure in my neck watching this, a physical feeling. And I inhaled deeply and involuntarily in a giant sigh when he surfaces...

 

http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=26664

I think this image is very interesting and fits some discussion that we've had througout this thread. Don't know if it's synesthesia but it does evoke many senses simultaneously:

 

http://1x.com/photo/303890/all:user:17776

 

This is the last weekend to submit to this batch. Lots if interesting contributions to this difficult theme! This is your last opportunity to make Kathryn's life more difficult by combing your archive for a few more topical submissions. We don't want her to get off too easy!

Don't you want to see how these sweets taste?

 

http://1x.com/photo/311460/all:user:418768

I was upset that I have nothing reasonable to contribute to this batch, despite being a bit of a synesthet myself. Well, until I made this shot yesterday night:

 

http://1x.com/photo/311665/all:user:45800

 

He played well, very well, classical music. Downtown Boston, with cars zooming by and people walking by. No listeners except me and one roller skater for a few moments. Just him and the piano on the pavement... Do you hear the music?...

 

Anna

Kathryn, this is a great theme and I wish I was able to contribute with an image of mine, but so far, nothing "came to me".

 

I also have some kind of synaesthesia condition when I see certain colours or special colour combinations, I get a watery mouth as if I am about to get something nice to eat just now. So that is why I sometimes say that I could "eat" a colour. It is no real synaesthesia though, because therefore I would need to have a special taste of something with a special colour, and repetitively, but that is not the case.

 

A few days ago I came across an image in the decay weekly theme, which has such a combination, a mixture of green and blue:

 

http://1x.com/photo/306206/playlist:281212

 

Interesting to read the different articles by you all and some really great images.

 

Anne Rose

 

I think that is exactly what synesthesia is, Anne Rose. It is pathways in the brain that link senses, so that when you see you also taste or feel or ... This can apply to any or all senses and can be specific, or general. In its extreme, it can be quite debilitating, but in its milder forms it is just interesting. I have never experienced this, so I have no personal knowledge, but I have read a lot about it.

A mix of humor and sensory?

Smell the flowers, taste the flowers, see the flowers, imagine the seeds...feel the horror of the parent...

 

http://1x.com/photo/311748/group:160:all:admin:21245

 

It is meant to give a laugh.....

 

Left the few pixel frame on it as I think it sets it off nicely and Martin is very open. :)

 

Phyllis

Well, these are what I've submited to this synesthesia batch though I know it is not synesthesia in its original sense:

 

http://1x.com/photo/312903/all:user:235988

http://1x.com/photo/312902/all:user:235988

 

I found this a surprisingly difficult theme. I thought I would submit something abstract to convey a feeling or emotion, but ended up with a street shot from Morocco: http://1x.com/photo/314611/group:160:all

 

The main square in Marrakech, Djemma el Fnaa, is a gathering place for people - locals and tourists alike. As the sun goes down, the food stalls begin to set up shop and the crowds start to gather for the evening meal.

 

I look at this image and can almost feel a gentle heat still radiating from the paving; hear the sounds of stall holders shouting above the general hubbub of voices, music playing in the distance, cycle bells, car horns and two stroke engines; smell the exotic scents of spices wafting on the breeze as the food stalls start cooking....and I start to relive the anticipation of being part of the gathering in this amazing place.

 

I guess the big question is, does the image convey any of these feelings to you or is it just triggering very personal memories for me?

 

Linda

Hey, I was in Marrakesh two weeks ago! I am amazed how much pavement you were able to photograph. It was packed when we tried to walk across it.

 

Great place isn't it, Martin? The square was usually very crowded on our visits but there must have been a little lull between the day and night shift for just a minute or two on this particular occasion - at least long enough to see the light between the shadows...

I confess I liked Fez better, but yes it was interesting. Did you go to the Madersa? That was my favorite site there.

This batch is now closed. Thank you all for your submissions! Kathryn will post the results when she is ready. I am curious what she will pick and why, especially since this was such a tough theme.

Thank you everyone for the submissions. I will try to write up my selections over the weekend and should have them posted by Tuesday.