Out of SIGHT, Out of MIND: Artistic Explorations in Synaesthesia

Artists have long been fascinated by synaesthesia: where one sense reaches into the realm of another. Kandinsky and Scriabin, thought this suprasensory state spiritual. For others it was an inspiring place to visit with psychedelics. For many it offers important creative challenges.  But how does synaesthesia relate to artistic endeavour and aesthetic appreciation? Navigating these realms and separating science from myth in this illustrated talk are writer Simon Ings, synaesthesia researcher Dr Jamie Ward and filmmaker Samantha Moore.
     
Ings is a novelist and science journalist. The Eye, his first popular science book, tells the story of the eye, revealing the vital link that exists between the evolution of vision and the evolution of consciousness.  He writes regularly for New Scientist, iD and Dazed & Confused. Dr Jamie Ward is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at UCL.  He has published over 30 scientific papers, edited a special issue of the journal 'Cortex' on synaesthesia, and published a major textbook on cognitive neuroscience.  A leading expert on the topic of synaesthesia, his research has featured widely in newspapers, television and on radio.
      
Samantha Moore studied Fine Art Film at Central St Martins. She's been Animator In Residence at Channel 4, and her films have been screened widely in the UK and internationally. In 2005 Samantha received a Wellcome Trust 'SciArt' award, and researched a project on Synaesthesia & Sound with Jamie Ward.