Sitting at a piano in one of the IOE music rooms (before social distancing became a thing), Tim talks us through how certain piano notes produce hard and soft tactile sensations. He recounts how his synaesthesia has featured both positively and negatively in his life, plus the cognitive dissonance that can arise when the characteristics of a musical piece don't fit with the sensation he feels.
This crossover of sensory modes is of particular interest to the IN-TOUCH project, which investigates novel theories and methods of digital touch communication. Together, Tim and Lili imagine how to go about creating a haptic device which could replicate the sensations he experiences.
Listen to the podcast
Content referenced in the podcast
- Opening Piece: Bruce Hornsby - Harbor Lights
- Frost* - Falling Down (from the album Experiments in Mass Appeal)
- Richie's Plank Experience - Toast VR
- Nick Ryan's synaesthesia clothing installation
- Synesthesia Lab - Synesthesia X1 - 2.44