Scientists show Kandinsky was right - paintings can be heard

We all link music and art, but only a tiny minority of us is aware of the crossover of senses in our brains, according to a UCL neuroscientist speaking today at the BA Festival of Science.

New research has found that vision and hearing are inextricably interlinked in everyone's brain, but only synaesthetes, who have a rare condition in which the senses mingle, are conscious of it.

The results show that most of us prefer image and sound combined, rather than either in isolation. We also tend to agree on which images match particular sounds. This could have implications for how we understand art and develop art forms that combine visual images with sound - such as ballet, opera, visual jockeying and animation.

In his talk at the 'Beautiful Brains' symposium, Dr Jamie Ward (UCL Psychology) said: "Kandinsky wanted to make visual art more like music - more abstract. He also hoped that his paintings would be 'heard' by his audiences. This seems more achievable now that we have found such a strong link between vision and hearing."

Read the full press release.