Date of Award

Spring 6-14-2025

Document Type

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Degree Name

B.A. in Emergent Digital Practices

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Emergent Digital Practices

First Advisor

Rafael Fajardo

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Synesthesia, Artistic exploration, Touch Designer, Immersive, Installation, Sensory

Abstract

This thesis investigates synesthesia as both a neurological condition and a broader sensory perception shaped by culture, cognition, and creative practice. Although not a synesthete in the medical definition of the condition, I explore how sensory overlaps particularly between sound, sight, touch, taste, and smell can be simulated and explored through art. Through historical research, theoretical analysis, and personal experimentation, I examine synesthesia as a potential extension of universal perceptual pathways rather than an isolated anomaly. Drawing from semiotic theories by Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce, the project considers how meaning is made through sensory signification and how these processes are culturally and personally constructed. Important influences to the project include artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, and contemporary figures like Billie Eilish and Pharrell Williams, who exemplify the power of cross-sensory creativity. The culminating project is an immersive synesthesia simulator: an interactive installation that uses sound-reactive visuals in Touch Designer, textured projection surfaces, essential oils, sensory music, and flavored elements to create a fully embodied sensory experience. This work challenges viewers to reconsider the boundaries of perception, particularly in art and design, proposing that synesthetic experiences may lie dormant within us all, awaiting activation through immersive, multi-sensory art.

Copyright Date

5-15-2025

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Lexi James

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

34 pgs

File Size

8.9 MB

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