Synesthesia is the occurrence of when a person’s senses may be linked together in a way where if they experience one sense, they will in turn experience an entirely different sense as well. For example, if they hear the note C-flat, they will then see the color blue. It is a neurological characteristic that allows people to involuntarily experience multiple different senses even when only one sensory pathway is triggered.
An example from pop culture that highlights the realities of synesthesia is the video SYNESTHETIC LOCKED by LOROCROM and Phil Fried. This video uses a combination of music, text, and animation to show an artistic depiction of how a synesthete may experience the world around them. The video draws bridges between certain senses such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste by displaying descriptions of what experiencing each sense is like as well as painting a visual guide of a synesthete’s thought process through animation.
Synesthesia is an incredibly important topic because its study can reveal how certain parts of the brain are connected and interact with each other. In the context of this video, it is also important to note the efforts of using art as a medium of understanding different methods of thinking. By using video art to allow more people to understand what having synesthesia is like, the reality of the synesthetes is not only confirmed but also celebrated. The confirmation of synesthesia in pop culture is important so that it does not become viewed as a mental disorder, but rather a unique gift with the power to be embraced.