Earlier this summer Vague Terrain contributor Thomas Bey William Bailey undertook a research residency at the SONM (Sound Archive of Experimental Music and Sound Art) in Murcia, Spain. The SONM has posted a PDF of Bailey's essay "State of the Union: The Synesthetic Experience in Experimental Music and Sound Art", which begins as follows:
The type of perception we normally have in mind when discussing the mirroring of sensory information is synesthesia- from the Greek "syn" [union] and aesthesis [sensation]. While being diagnosed with this condition as a parament state is extremely rare and likely to be inherited (something we'll look at into shortly), the number of artistic practices dealing with synesthesia as an adventitious or acquired state are growing steadily. For the latter, maybe "cross-modal translation" should be used in place of "synesthesia" to differentiate adventitious and inherited forms of experience, yet the "sexiness" of the term synesthesisa is difficult to shake off…"
Yes, Thomas has tackled (and catalogued) synesthesia in sound art and experimental music production and the results are quite compelling. Cruise over to a related SONM page to download his essay – it is well worth your time.
Note:The SONM site seems to time out frequently – if you try to click through to the site several times, you will eventually get to the linked page and the essay.
