Aesynth is a four day festival of events celebrating the phenomenon of synaesthesia through live music, art, talks and film. Synaesthesia is a neurological condition in which auditory stimuli – words, numbers or music – generate vivid colours and shapes in the mind’s eye.
The festival is the brain-child of violinist Siobhán Doyle and artist/synaesthete Jane Mackay, and features an exhibition of paintings based on string quartet music, live performances by the Lir String Quartet, film screenings and a panel discussion with some of the leading researchers in the fields of music and psychology. Siobhán writes for Culture about the inspiration behind the event...
I first heard about the phenomenon of synaesthesia about five years ago from my sister, who was studying psychology. I have played music all my life and often hear people reference colour in music, but always in an abstract way, whether it was a teacher telling me to ‘bring out the colours’ in a certain passage, or a conductor asking for ‘darker shades’ or a ‘shimmering gold’. This language seems to be accepted and understood amongst musicians without too much questioning, even though most are not synaesthetes.
When I found out that some people really do see colours when they hear music, I was amazed. A friend of mine told me about playing Ravel in an orchestra and seeing waves of colour float towards her. I heard about someone going to a concert and having a colourful cinematic experience alongside the music. It seemed to add another mesmerising dimension to a medium that I already loved so much, and I was so jealous!
I wanted to put on a small showcase of art and music to introduce audiences to synaesthesia and was excited to come across Jane Mackay, through a collaboration she was doing with the Philharmonia Orchestra. When I got in touch with Jane however, it was clear that there was the potential for something much bigger.
Jane experiences a very strong form of synaesthesia, seeing vivid colours and shapes while listening to sounds. And it’s not just music; it could be a sneeze that shoots past her as a deep turquoise, opaque, rhomboidal flying shape. A trained artist, passionate musician, former doctor and spirited campaigner, Jane possesses an inextinguishable enthusiasm for life and the arts. Excited by the prospect of a collaboration, we decided to go big and create a whole festival of art, music and synaesthesia.
Central to the festival will be an exhibition of paintings based on string quartet works by Mendelssohn and Britten, to take place in In-Spire Galerie in Dublin City Centre from 7–28 February. Especially exciting will be live performances of these inspiring pieces of music given by The Lir String Quartet, which I co-founded with some of Ireland’s foremost musicians in 2017. The festival will also include a screening of films, including The Colour Of Wednesday, an award-winning short film about Jane Mackay by filmmaker and science communicator Tay Aziz, and a panel discussion will take place with guest speakers from the fields of psychology, music, science and film such as Dr Fiona Newell (Professor of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin) and Dr Ciarán Crilly (Head of School, UCD School of Music).
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Aesynth Festival takes place from 7-10 February 2019 at Inspire Galerie, Dublin, and the art exhibition will continue until 28 February - more details here.
