Synesthesia

Natasha asked me to meet her in Shoreditch tonight. I ran in late on an empty stomach, ate a proffered chocolate brownie and some elderflower juice, got chatting to an extraordinarily friendly woman before realising we were at a church meeting not the photography exhibition Natasha's work  was to be in (good start). Hasty retreat, profuse apologies and finally we found where we were actually meant to be.

I am the sort of person who reads the entire scientific description on the back of any purchased shampoo bottle and of course, believes it all. This, despite having a friend who worked at a wine merchants years ago having told me exactly how he came up with the descriptions for the wine labels when he knew no more about wine than I. Earthy undertones indeed! I digress, bear with me but here comes the science. 

Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon where when one sense is stimulated, another is also triggered. For synesthetes, words may appear to them as colours for example. Numbers or days of the week may appear in the mind in a precise location, one being further away than another.

This interesting phenomenon was the inspiration for the evening 'Rivers and Oceans' created by BitterSuite who's work are funded by The Arts Council and Sense UK, amongst others. The idea being that an experience is richer when multiple senses are stimulated at once. For tonight's experiment chamber music inspired by the ocean and performed by Perpetuo Ensemble was accompanied by extraordinary foods presented to us in a wooden chest upon entering. Inside were numbered foods we were asked to eat during specific pieces of music. They were not always delicious, but often full of complex flavours like the music itself. My favourite however was a warmed parsnip and white chocolate puree with a touch of cocoa sprinkled on top. 

There was a drink with fruits that literally exploded in my mouth and accompanied perfectly with a piece played staccato. The chef mentioned something about a fixing agent but I'm afraid I can not recall the detail. The extra photo shows the final and most popular edible sensory provoking canapé, trout with edible flowers. The taste and smell sparked memories of the seaside. 

During the recital we were encouraged to walk around and look at photographs of rivers and seas projected behind the musicians whilst breathing in various oceanic scents that had been sprayed around the room. The main photograph seen above is of my friend Natasha's work and the reason for my invitation. She loves to sail so I expected a photograph shot whilst at sea but this was taken from the waters edge in Margate. Other photographs were taken anywhere from the Arctic to Cuba.

A very different evening of sensory stimulation and fantastic to see Natasha's work on the big screen.