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.
John Lennon – Imagine
The brain has been described as one of the most powerful and complex organisms in the universe – we are yet to even get a firm handle on what the brain is capable of, let alone begin to understand how it works.
Synesthesia is just another example of how incredible and far-reaching the mind's abilities extend.
John Mayer – Gravity
Jimi Hendrix – Little Wing
Led Zeppelin – Since I've Been Loving You
David Bowie – Life On Mars
Prince – Joy In Repetition
