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Photo Essay

1

Listening to Color – Photographic Diary of a Synesthete

by Chelsea Rising

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In high school, I was the girl with the iPod, strutting to the music playing for one. The iPod would accompany me into the darkroom, my assistant in experimental solarization. Playlists formed according to emotion, connecting mood to the photograph.

I love photography and music for the same reason: both keep the world from going silent. At the time, for me to be heard, visuals were necessary. Concert silhouettes illustrated the need for darkness; without it, light would have nothing to reflect upon.

Glancing at the performers is often a pleasant surprise, a voyeuristic look into the auras and personas we all wish we could show. Even the shyest of musicians takes rockstar form. During their time on stage, they obtain the attention we crave, the ability to hypnotize the eyes of the room.

Chet Burchett (guitar), Tyler LeVander (drummer), Adam Neely (bass/jazz composer)

Hidden behind the lens, my presence remains visible, the 21 year old torn between head-banging and her Nikon carry on.

The camera is manually set to the colors I hear. It is common for artists and musicians to have synesthesia. Synesthetes live in a world personified by color association of sensory experiences, letters, numbers, days, months, or all of the above. Most significant in this case, specific sounds form immediate, involuntary visual responses.

Josh Hoglan (bass), Elliott Klein (guitar/vocals), Mike Ball (bass), Ben Levin Group-Josh Friedman (piano/keys), Ben Levin (guitar), Mike Ball (bass), Chris Baum (violin)


One chord can strike entrance into a past situation. For a moment, held captive by the color I hear, the color I then feel. The concerts, they call me. The musicians, they charm me.

Performances act as simultaneous audio and visual sensations, euphoric explorations that remind of the importance for the emotion in a photograph.

Chelsea Rising is a 21 year old photographer, gender studies student/blogger and writer.

Website: chelsearising.com

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1 Comment

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  dave said:

  Wonderful visualizations – you make me want to put on some music :)

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