In a fevered dream, Ethel views a gathering of notables around a Victrola. Ellington, Hockney, Nabokov, Lizst and Bernstein watch Rachmaninoff no. 3 on the cone. Kandinsky and O’Keefe knock feebly on the door, but are repulsed with "Begone, you fakers!" What illustrious group has Ethel stumbled upon and why the abrupt dismissal?

queproblema

She found a bunch of synesthetes watching the colors of No. 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_synesthesia That was another trigger-happy response. Here's more: "Synesthesia is clinically defined as an involuntary physical experience of a cross-modal association. This means an involuntary crossing of two or more senses. If you stimulate one sense it causes a stimulation in another sense as well. There are 31 possible combinations of the senses but usually there are only two senses which cross, and this brings the number of potential combinations down to 20. The pairings are generally one way, sound may create colour but colour will not create sound. "...It is a unique brain experience which gets frequently linked to artistic genius. It is considered a source of inspiration for creative brilliance but sources disagree that it is more common in creative people or artists. "Most synesthetes function at a very high level, are highly intelligent and typically have excellent memories. "Pseudosynesthesia can occur without intention, triggered by drug use or learned associations, or as an act of creation expressed through literature, music, and art." http://tarotcanada.tripod.com/Synesthesia.html Wassily Kandinsky was repulsed with "Begone, you fakers!" because his some thought he was an "invented synesthete." I haven't been able to find that Georgia O'Keefe's wasn't legitimate. Aug 29 08, 2:26 PM

edmund80

Yes ! Synesthesia is the crossing of two different sensory or cognitive pathways, as indicated in your link above. The link below identifies some famous true synesthetes as well as some pseudosynesthetes. Since synesthesia was often linked to creative abilities, many non-synesthetes have attempted to identify themselves with this group and tried to reflect in their work what it would be like to see the world through a true synesthete’s eyes not necessarily with deception in mind, but merely to enhance their own work. There is a battery of tests to help determine the true from the pseudosynesthete. It is within the link below. Wassily Kandinsky and Georgia O’Keefe are identified in the link below as pseudosynesthetes, which does not at all detract from the greatness of their oeuvre. http://home.comcast.net/~sean.day/html/famous_synesthetes.html Aug 29 08, 7:45 PM