Cymatics & Synesthesia

    So, cymatics..  I had seen this video a while back, and didn't really consider it in a context of experimental film.  Apparently, hundreds of naturally occurring shapes and designs can be recreated through sound vibrations, ranging from snowflakes to starfish.  These formations appear according to specific frequencies, and the possibilities seem endless.  Scientists have been researching cymatics for a while now:

    Evan Grant from the assigned TED video defines cymatics as: the process of visualizing sound.

This fits perfectly into synesthesia, which according to Wikipedia is,  a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.  

    Cymatics uncovers a synesthetic quality of nature.  If sounds can create intricate images and patterns, what else have we been missing out on?  Again according to Wikipedia, not everybody has been missing out - Pharell, Kandinsky, and Liszt are all "synesthetes".  Artists have sought synesthesia in their works for years.  If a painter, filmmaker, or composer can invoke a sensory response that is outside their medium, they're definitely on to something.  An interesting image from Grant's talk, this is a picture of a Beethoven piece 'cymaticized':

    This picture shows the potential for a cross-over of an artist's material. 

   It's really interesting to see a song that was never intended to be 'seen,' take such an almost equally attractive piece in an entirely different medium.  It seems to support a case for an inherent beauty in a classic composition.  But who knows, the rest of the song could have looked like garbage...

Cymatics is just one form of synesthesia; the sight of sound.  Other types of synesthesia include seeing color, identifying numbers with letters, or hearing visuals. 

Norman McLaren response:

- Chaotic at first.  Repetition of colors and shapes set to old swing/jazz.

- Lines are personified as if they are dancing.  Characters shaped out of abstracted images.

- Large variety of technique explored throughout.

- Pace also varies a lot.