Synesthesia, a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sense can trigger an involuntary sensory experience in another—for example “hearing” color, or “tasting” a sound—is an unusual muse for creatives ranging from musicians to perfumers. While an average human’s sense mechanisms operate autonomously, synesthetes often fuse one or more senses, or cognitive pathways, simultaneously. The trait is a quirk of evolution that affects roughly 2-4 percent of the population, and has 60 known forms. Missouri painter Melissa McCracken has synesthesia and when she hears a song it instantly transforms into a pastiche of color and vibrant life. The artist’s recent “song portraits,” a series based on her synesthetic experiences, are centered on these visions. She uses oil and acrylic paint as her medium, so that the canvas becomes a backdrop for the the sensory neurons firing in her brain. Below, take a trip through the mind of McCracken, in glorious detail:
From a Rare Neurological Condition Comes Gloriously Vibrant Art
Painter Melissa McCracken’s synesthesia transforms music into colors, inspiring her newest series Song Portraits.
By Laura FeinsteinMay 11, 2015
Laura Feinstein
Current Deputy Editor at GOOD, Laura Feinstein writes about the intersection where art, technology, and global culture meet. Former Editor in Chief at The Creators Project at VICE, and a freelance writer for such diverse publications as The Guardian, T/The New York Times, VICE International, BOMB Magazine, PSFK.com, Pitchfork/Nothing Major, and Details Magazine (among others), Laura is always on the lookout for the new and unboring.
