Synesthesia

As a young student (some time ago), learning about why artists began making abstract art was the most exciting period in art history to me.

There were quite a few artists who were attracted to "synesthesia," the phenomenon that one sensation can manifest itself in a completely different form. For example, musical notes corresponding to particular colors in the spectrum.

I never really understood this fully, but a story this morning on NPR was very helpful. The reporter talks with Laura Rosser, a synesthetic pianist who sees her notes in color and her color in notes. In other words, they are inextricably bound to one another–one in the same in her mind.

The story is well worth your time.