To 'Cross-Modal' or 'Synaesthesia' its degrees of the same scale and perhaps the way

It seems to me that science could learn so much more about colour and shape and the effects it has and could have on our lives, if it began to study the active outcomes of abstract painting. This means technology analysing paintings from my community group and setting up similar activities throughout the world. I would like science to find out if there is more meaning behind so-called arbitrary colours and marks, made when people paint abstract pictures expressing music or an emotion connected with music. Science could conduct a world wide project where everyone is asked to paint "happy".

This may take us far beyond our current understanding and reveal that that colour and shape is indeed a far more powerful, misunderstood and underused language. It may also discover that our innate processing abilites, our synaesthetic pathways, are the tools needed to put it to common use and that the current explanation, that it is a wiring "error" in the processing area of the brain, is not at all the case. It may also reveal that the marks made when painting, are connected to the shorthand the brain uses to create the "inner model" of our experiences. (Eagleman, 2016) Again a vital mechanism that enables us to survive in the world where we are bombarded by complexity every second of our waking lives.

I had always thought in terms of a camera obscura when considering how the brain processes what the senses send it. Now I discover that there is a shorthand or undiscovered language, that travel neural pathways as electrical impulse, and the brains ability to translate the shorthand of those impulses is really 'up for grabs'. Therfore any output that comes from using lthe argely uncharted pathways of the brain could be of extreme use in new discovery.

Finally the question of why?? why as a painter would I bother myself with all that science knows and doesnt know. Well in short it's because when I play with colours patterns and emotions on canvas engaging these processing pathways, I experience powerful healing. I therfore have a natural interest. I study the subject further and discover that many places who use painting, experience the same healing properties from using art interventions, to the extent where patients pain medication becomes quickly obsolete and recovery time from surgery noteably accelerated, as is return to work and a decelleration in future hospital visits and sick leave.(Hambre H. J. et al, 2007)

So whilst I primarily indulge in the process of 'musicpainting' both personally and with others and continue to reap the health benifits, I also enjoy keeping up to date with those greater minds that may one day create more powerful healing from the newly undersood language of abstract art.

At Uni. on Thursday had a great conversation with Claire, who seems to know a lot about synaesthesia. It was so refreshing to have a debate with someone rather than try to extract what is going on from the written word. She has given me some clarity into which direction my research needs to go….. especially with the guy recently employed by ford…. A synaesthete who has been taken on to move forward the design team…. To look at design as a synaesthete. Michael Havercamp Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-01-09/the-minds-eye-synesthesia-has-business-benefits

Claire feels that the work I do in the community is best described as cross modal... When using the term synaesthesia it falls into the realm of science.... it can be measured and it is a condition that can be proven.... it is consistent in individuals.... I may be using the same innate pathways but not to the same level......

A cross modal experiment it is.....

No then to the next issue!!........ Active not Passive!!............

What has always bothered me about current research into the effect of shape colour and texture on control is that is has always been passive. With this new appointment it sounds that its as it should be….. active!!

So maybe I find theories to back up what I feel should be happening with vision science. Give control an emotion and let them paint.

When Georgia O’keefe talks about her shapes being a language that she doesn’t fully understand…. When her work speak volumes to people throughout the planet…. Why isn’t vision science trying to do more…… to work out …… what the marks might mean…. In Kandinsky….. o,Keefe….. Rothko….. Pollock….. and how do different groups / cultures /countries respond. Do Native Americans use the shape and colour to express happiness as the Welsh??...... What effect does multiculture have on the way we use colour and shape…. Will the whole world react the same in 50 years time. Will White be the new non colour of Mourning…. Purple for status….. And will we understand why synaesthetes see and experience colour so vividly….. will we use these pathways that exist in us all to communicate…… make new cures in medicine….. detect criminal elements…. Help employers make the right selections…… students make the right career choices…. Help people more successfully express grief ???...... One hell of a lot of potential….

I’m starting with my community group….. painting squares…… I’m painting squares and I will offer up the results as food for scientific thought….. Or not!!..... meanwhile we’ll all have a good time doing so!!

To do….. get the books Claire recommended …. Read them……. Use up to date knowledge to present the ideas and the work to …… everyone!!