Hearing the colour of a flute. Tasting the sharpness of a banana. Feeling the months of the year wrapped around your body. To some of us, the crossing of sensory boundaries occurs only in the realm of the imagination, guided by poets, artists and musicians. To others, the experience lies beyond metaphor: hearing triggers strong colour sensations, as aural and visual perceptions merge into a simultaneous sensory experience. Artists, writers, and musicians have long found inspiration in the crossing of the senses, but synesthesia is a perceptual condition, in which neurological and chemical processes initiate activity in the brain, expanding the boundaries of perception.
From May 27 – June 2, 2013, the Colour Research Society of Canada and OCAD University, Toronto, will co-host Crossing Sensory Boundaries, a programme of synesthesia-inspired events for the 10th Annual Conference of The American Synesthesia Association. A diverse group of researchers, practitioners and synesthetes will converge to share knowledge across disciplines, as they explore multiple facets of the synesthetic experience.
See www.crossingsensoryboundaries.ca for information about the conference and free public programming.
Mon May 27: Workshop for educators. 10:00am – noon. Seminar Room 1, Weston Family Learning Centre, Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W. (free; to register, contact dgriffin@faculty.ocadu.ca)
Fri. May 31: Music Visualization Workshop, held in conjunction with the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto and MaHRC. 9:00am – 4:30pm. Boyd Neel Room, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto 80 Queen’s Park Cres. (free; to register, contact rkingsburgh@faculty.ocadu.ca)
Fri May 31: When Sound Meets Colour (Free to public). Lecture by award-winning documentary filmmaker Samantha Moore, and performance by the internationally renowned Gryphon Trio. 7:30pm – 10:00pm. Walter Hall, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park Cres.
Sat. June 1: Day 1 of ASA Conference, 9-5pm, OCAD University, 100 McCaul St. (Register at www.synesthete.org)
Sat June 1: Sense Connections (Free to public). Lecture by John Kennedy, and screening of Harmonia by Christos Hatzis and Bruno Degazio. 7:00pm – 9:30pmMain Auditorium, OCAD University, 100 McCaul St.
Sun. June 2: Day 2 of ASA Conference, 9-5pm, OCAD University, 100 McCaul St.
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