Monica Stauffer, Student Work

Synesthesia | Natural History of the Senses

Artist Statement

Synesthesia is the the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body. The most basic example is seeing letters or numbers in a certain color, or identifying certain sounds with colors as well (low sounds are dark colors, high sounds are light colors). It’s a union of the senses, a sensory overload, a luminous spill of sensation. It’s caused by the limbic system not being governed by the cortex. 

Many creatives have this; it allows them to have the ability to create a piece of art that conveys an emotion. It also can act as a sort of mnemonic device, to help aid in remembering an idea, or sparking a thought (sex, tea, cigars, and baths are all historical examples). 

Experiencing synesthesia is a very personal thing, and differs from person to person. However, there are daily occurrences of synesthesia in almost every person. 

When you walk into a building, you usually experience a change in your mental or emotional state. Entering a church gives this sense of holiness, of grandeur, because of it’s size as well as ornamentation. However, this is a completely different experience than you feel when you walk into a house, particularly your home. Your home is your safe haven, where you feel most like yourself, where you return to to remember who you are. It’s comfortable, and most likely does not leave you with the feeling of divinity. 

Physical spaces have an emotional impact on us. The way a space is designed and laid out causes this impression. And that is what I set out to do with this installation: create a physical space that, upon entrance, causes you to feel calm and collected, contained, yet still a part of the world. 

The other goal was to draw attention to an architectural feature. The site that the installation was set up in has a wooden beam coming down from the highest point to the corner in this alcove. It seemed the perfect thing to draw attention to, to mimic. 

The purpose of the thread is to lead the eye of the viewer to this corner: the eye moves in, and then up. It pulls you in, as numerous lines lead to this point. That is how the viewer ends up being in the space. Once in the space, the numerous angles of the thread create a sort of wall, making the viewer feel enclosed, yet not to the point of being separate from the world. It’s calming, a space to be in when you don’t wan to escape completely. 

The physical appearance and experience of the space cause an emotional and mental connection with the viewer, achieving synesthesia. 

Kevin Mahoney, Student Work

Natural History of the Senses

For this project I set up a microphone going through a loop pedal going through an amplifier. All of this was covered with a red velvet curtain to add a layer of mystery. So as the business of the Molly Wiley Art Building happened each day, the sounds of it’s inhabitants would be reflected back into the building. Each time the sounds would loop they would loop back on top of eachother, building up into a sea of feedback. I placed a mirror behind the curtain so that nosy viewers would be able to see that it was, in fact, them making the music. Unfortunately I faced problems with people not wanting to listen to the music and I also faced problems with the microphone on my camera not picking up the sound as it truly happened. I feel that this piece would be specific to whatever site it was installed in and I feel that it operates more as a physical experience that does not lend itself very well to documentation.

Research:
John Cage

Research/Inspiration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcHnL7aS64Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjeRCsoufII

Michelle Behling, Student Work

The sense I chose was hearing:

"Sea robins, drum-fishes and many others make sounds with their swim bladders; croakers grunt loud enough to keep China Sea fishermen awake at night; Hawiian triggerfish grind their teeth loudly ; the male toadfish growls; bottlenose dolphins click and squeak like badly oiled office chairs..." (198)
Diane Ackerman, Natural History of the Senses, 1990.

This part of the chapter made me think a lot about the natural sounds in our environments. When I go to sleep at night, the sounds I hear are the refrigerator and other electrical humming sounds. I wanted to respond to the abundance of mechanical sounds that can be heard throughout the day. Often I think we tune out these sounds and then blend into the background. However, in most building these sounds are present. I think it's interesting that often lights and machines buzz more and more with time as the parts wear down, making them impossible to fabricate.

I wanted to interfere with the space and create mechanical noise in the background to alter the sense of hearing.  I tested several types of lights using an electronic dimmer, a common cause of humming lights, to test the volume and sound of the hum. Although this experience has visual sensory information, it is primarily meant to be felt as an auditory experience.  I attempted to partially shield the visual aspect of the light with a curtain in my installation.

Ultimately this project was my first experience with lighting and sound. At first, I was unsure if I could even produce humming lights, as they are considered a problem meant to be solved. It seemed as if this project was the backwards solution to a problem- a solution created through a reverse process. 

Research:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fix-humming-incandescent-light-fixture-34036.html
https://www.smarthome.com/sh-solutions-why-do-lights-buzz-when-using-dimmer.html

Andrew Hollingsworth, Student Work

Installation in response to an excerpt titled the Painter's Eye 

from Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses.

Emily Lowell, Student Work

Touch Chapter
From the book A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman

Maja Hydbom, Student Work

Chapter - Smell, A Natural History of The Senses by Diane Ackerman

Metal, tights, ceramic, petals, lace and a red light

I created this site-specific installation after reading the chapter on Smell in A Natural History of The Senses, by Diane Ackerman. The chapter was interesting mostly for the informational part, such as; learning that children likes all smell until they are taught differently, smell is the most direct of all senses, women are not drawn to men’s natural scent, humans like smelling flowers because they have an energetic sex life and that is a plausible reason why we spray ourselves with fragranced perfume- to feel desirable. I wanted to create an installation that would endorse the idea of scent, but not actually smell of anything. I created a crucifixion of the female sexuality as it is commonly portrayed as something sinful, although it being natural. The crucifixion has been turned in to a drainage, hence the pipe like support, that stands to capture the infamous sexuality.

My research for this project includes the works of Robert Gober. See below. 

Alex McNutt, Student Work

Sense: Touch
from the book A Natural History of The Senses by Diane Ackerman
I chose to create my hallway installation based on the sense of touch. Yarn World was built February 17, 2014. I wanted to create an enclosed space where you could not avoid being touched. In the book "A Natural History of the Senses" Diane Ackerman talks about hair being a receptor of touch. When something is close to our bodies our hairs get all tingly and sends information to our brain that something is there. Yarn World was supposed to be a kind of claustrophobic touch overload. When you step inside Yarn World you are being touched by thousands of strands of yarn coming from all sides.

The part of the book that I took the most inspiration from was the section titled "Adventures in the Touch Dome." Mostly I just think that is a great title. I imagine a giant dome packed full of different objects to touch, all the different textures and consistencies. That is essentially what you do at San Francisco's Touch Dome apparently.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/west-gallery/tactile-dome

In the Tactile Dome you explore the pitch darkness using only your sense of touch. Yarn World is a similar concept. I created Yarn World by covering the brown floor and skirting the walls with white paper which I taped to the top of each wall. I then created a false ceiling out of foam board to hide the pipes above as well as to give a surface to attach yarn to. Using multi-colored duct tape I taped strips of yarn which I cut to reach just above the floor to the foam board ceiling above. I used 12 rolls of yarn and calculated that there are over 1000 strings of yarn hanging. I then hung a thick yellow curtain in front of the yarn with an opening so that you have to enter into the curtain to find the yarn. Over the top of the curtain I created a sign on foam board to seal the top of the curtain and invite guests in.

I wanted Yarn World to be playful and have almost an amusement park feeling but also be a little intimidating and make the guests feel uneasy about being inside the tiny space.

Marlena Lomonaco, Student Work

Response to Touch, a chapter from the book A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman

Installation, includes video.

Link here to watch video and see images of installation.

http://marlinstalls.tumblr.com

Josh Slinski, Student Work

Response to the book A Natural History of The Senses, Student Work

Smell, Rachel DeCuba
"I chose to respond to the chapter on the sense of smell. While reading the portion about smell that is naturally based and those created through chemical manipulation and our connection to certain scents I began to think of the historical connections I hold with scents. I connected this with the book 100 years of solitude, a book of latin realism, in this genre of literature there is emphasis on the senses and I wanted to illustrate this connection of illustrated smell and traditional uses. I created oils of rosemary, lavender and sage, traditional smells in the latin culture with a range of perceptions. I placed these into small jars that fit into a folding wooden traveling case, to resemble that of traveling gypsies that would traditionally sell these goods from village to village."

Taste, Tristan Dollinger

Synesthesia, Chryssha Guirdy.
For entire series of photos go to Chryssha's blog.
Link here.

Hearing, Brittany Higgins
"I explored the effects of what certain noises can have on people. Whether scary noises, thrilling noises, sensual noises, or exciting noises people cannot help but have a response. For my project I wanted to push sensual noises and see how people would react. I chose to set up a situation where the a person could listen to sound, but nobody could see the peron's face, only their body.  I asked  people to wear earbuds and put a box over their head.  Once the person was in position, I played sounds of individuals engaging in sexual acts. The result was a performance made by the person listening to the sounds as those present observed body reactions and seemed to gain excitement in not knowing what the person was listening to.  This excitement created a line of people to take part in the experiment."