I have always been attracted to the mysterious nature of sound and light and the possibility of translating sound into the visual and the visual into sound.

 

Multiple artists, including Wassily Kandinsky, Thomas Wilfred, Josef Albers, Oskar Fischinger and John Cage have described their own visual art in musical terms, building parallel relationships between vision and the sense of hearing.

 

Connecting the senses, in this case sight and sound, can create a rich experience that enhances our other senses. These connections allow ideas to flow from new places and can help us reach another state of mind.

 

I still recall reading the prose poem “Moonlight Over the Lotus Pond” in middle school. One of the lines was: “The moonlight on the lotus pond was dappled, but the light and shadow created a harmonious rhythm, like a beautiful tune played on a violin.” This illustration of the moonlight and shadow evokes the sense of hearing. The author connects the senses of sight and hearing in a way I understand.

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With these translations of the senses, I aim to engage participants in a meaningful audio-visual experience. For those who are not synesthetic, including myself, we can still activate the connection through the experience of their complementary nature. Through direct experience and practice, we can develop sensitivity towards acoustics and vision.