Chromesthesia is the neurological occurence where a person’s senses of sight and hearing directly influence one another when one of the two is triggered. In other words, a person will hear a sound and envision a specific color, right down to the shade and even the opacity. My project, an animation built with Magic Software that is then reactive based on MIDI input from Max 7 MSP originating from live audio, is not only a cool scenario, but an attempt to bring this relatively unknown life experience to people’s attention as well. A collaborator with me on the project, junior violinist Lorena Limato, is someone who experiences chromesthesia, and her insight is invaluable in creating the project’s authenticity. There will be a specific color mapping to match a typical scenario, and the animation itself will react in a variety of ways as the musician plays their piece.
By Eric O’Hare