Here's How An Artist With Synesthesia "Sees" Famous Songs

[Grapesoda]

Synesthesia is a very rare neurological condition in which the usually individual neural pathways in the brain down which sensory messages travel become inexplicably linked. This allows ?sufferers? to see sound, and taste colors.

Synesthesia, from the Greek words syn (union) and aesthesis (sensation), affects roughly 1 in 2,000 people, affecting different people in different ways.

Artist Melissa McCracken has the ability to see sounds, so when listening to music she experiences it not just as sound, but as images and colors. Which must be an incredible experience.

McCracken explains on her webpage:


"Basically, my brain is cross-wired. I experience the "wrong" sensation to certain stimuli. Each letter and number is colored and the days of the year circle around my body as if they had a set point in space. But the most wonderful "brain malfunction" of all is seeing the music I hear. It flows in a mixture of hues, textures, and movements, shifting as if it were a vital and intentional element of each song. Having synesthesia isn't distracting or disorienting. It adds a unique vibrance to the world I experience."

McCracken decided to document her experiences by listening to some of the best music that the last 30 years have to offer in the form of John Lennon, David Bowie and Led Zeppelin ? and recording what she sees.


Melissa S McCracken | Synesthetic Artist


John Lennon ? Imagine

[L-Pink]

That's pretty interesting.

[Rob]

She could be completely full of shit and no one would ever know. She could just be a really shitty artist.

[j3rkules]

Truly amazing.

[PorN-LinK]

Really cool stuff

[TheSquealer]

I read that site all the time and love it, but its not rare. there are many forms and it is something that about 1:100 people have in one form or another. I think the most common form is the person seeing numbers arranged in space in front of them in a specific pattern.. usually a wavy line that doubles over and usually plays a role in increased proficiency in mathematics). Seeing halos of color around people, days of the week or numbers as colors, touching things and tasting something specific like steak every time you touch plastic etc etc are all very common but people rarely talk about it. After all, who is going to tell you that touching their cotton shirt makes them taste pepperoni? Or that you have a large yellow glow around you?

also, the senses are not "inexplicably linked". the most widely accepted explanation right now is that as infants, our brains have a massively high degree of neuronal connectivity with little specialization and as the brain develops, the connectivity decreases and synethesia is thought to be the product of inter-connectivity which normally breaks as the brain develops. All forms of synethesia basically are the result of cross-chatter between neighboring neural pathways where residual, early developmental connectivity exists. (the failure of the massive over-connectivity to break down and the subsequent failure to then begin to specialize is also basically what autism is and why it exists in degrees)

brains are awesome.

brains are kinda cool to observe when they're not working as expected.

[arock10]

You are tripping out. Man.