Synesthesia

So, Synesthesia… Until reading these articles and viewing the assigned videos, I knew very little about it. I had heard stories, sort of like those ones that go around different social scenes that usually go, “Hey, did you know there’s a disease where you can see sound and taste sight?” Well, I’ve come to find that those stories were a bit embellished and I am definitely guilty of passing them along. Now that I know the truth about Synesthesia I am much more amazed. I had only been looking at the surface of it, thinking about how cool it would be to walk around and see colors that represented different sounds and associations. This would be pretty rad, but the real beauty comes when these people with the condition apply their “disability” to art. They are able to create pieces that truly capture the feeling and raw power of the subjects they focus their art on. “Normal” artists can only dream of being able to see and create what they do, and often times attempt just that. I would truly love to try some sort of simulator so that I could get a taste of what it would feel like to have Synesthesia. 

Norman Mclaren- Thoughts

I saw colors and lines. These were no ordinary colors and lines. They were engaged in a dance with moves the likes I have never seen before. This dance was mesmerizing, abut it also sent me elsewhere. During the first and third act I was very engaged, hanging on ever detail and soaking in as much as I possibly could. During the second act, however, I found my mind had drifted elsewhere. I began thinking of my own art, then of my grumbling stomach, the still of how I would go about ceasing the disturbance in my belly. All the while gazing directly at the waltz up on the screen. I wonder which came first, the score or the cut? I think Norman cut this to the already existing score, but wouldn't it be rad if it was the other way around? I really enjoyed the experience of watching this film. I was amazed at some of the frames because of their complexity. I hope this class will help me understand better how this was made and even teach me to make similar art.