Critical Reflection 

The ChromaSensorium:

Exploring Chromesthesia Through Interdisciplinary Co-creation.

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 Vicky Iddon. Chromaflow (2025)

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Abstract

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In a world dominated by screens and digital media, our sensory experiences are often fragmented. This project investigates how immersive, practice-based research can reconnect audiences with the materiality of sound by transforming it into something seen and felt.

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Through installations incorporating ferrofluid manipulated by electromagnetism, sound-generated vibration patterns, and projected digital artworks, the research explores how sound and frequency can be visualised as moving forces. Guided by co-collaboration with a Chromesthete and reflective analysis using Gibbs’ cycle, the project examines how artists might ethically and authentically engage with perceptual conditions they do not themselves experience.

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It argues that co-collaboration not only enhances authenticity but also redefines authorship within interdisciplinary artistic practice, contributing to wider debates on neurodivergence, sensory difference, and immersive art.

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Introduction

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My interest in the themes of this project stems from long-term creative motivations. As an artist, I have always felt a strong connection between sound and visual form. While I do not experience chromesthesia myself, I have been drawn to the idea that sound can hold shape, texture, and colour. This personal curiosity about the neurological basis of chromesthesia inspired me to create work that bridges sensory experience with physical presence, offering not only an aesthetic exploration of colour and sound but also a potential pathway toward empathy and deeper understanding.

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The project takes form through immersive installations that layer ferrofluid experiments, sound-responsive vibration patterns, and projected digital artworks to create a multi-sensory experience of sound. Rather than aiming for a fixed outcome, this practice-based research embraces experimentation as a mode of inquiry, evolving through trial and error, dialogue with my chromesthetic co-collaborator, Louie James, and ongoing reflection on the relationships between sound, movement, and visual form.

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This critically reflective summary situates the project within broader conversations about neurodivergence, co-collaboration, and the embodiment of an invisible phenomenon. It explores the theoretical and practical frameworks underpinning the work, including a literature review of how chromesthetic representation and neurological conditions have been engaged with in the art world. It also reflects on how collaboration with someone whose sensory experience differs from my own has shifted my understanding of authorship within my practice.

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What is Chromesthesia?

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Synaesthesia is a neurological condition in which an individual’s senses become cross-wired, allowing them to experience one sensory input through another, unrelated sense (Exceptional Individuals, 2023). One form of synaesthesia, known as chromesthesia, causes individuals to "see" sounds or music as colours (Justice, 2024). Historically, Chromesthesia has influenced the arts: post-impressionist and expressionist artists, such as Vincent van Gogh, may have drawn on their chromesthetic perceptions, translating sound into colour and movement in their work (Ransome, 2023).

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Scientific research into synaesthesia, including chromesthesia, gained momentum in the 1980s, with methods such as the Consistency Test developed by Simon Baron-Cohen providing early ways to verify synaesthetic experiences (Campen, 2007, p.124; Cytowic & Eagleman, 2009). Public awareness has since grown, with studies examining how Chromesthetes interact with sound artworks, sometimes experiencing multisensory intensities that lead to sensory overload (Justice, 2024).

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Chromesthesia is also reported among musicians and artists, such as Kanye West, who describes his creative process as transforming sound into visual form (West, 2016). These practices highlight how neurological diversity can enrich artistic innovation and public understanding of multisensory perception (Campen, 2007).

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Co-Collaboration

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Collaboration is a key aspect of contemporary artistic practice. Unlike traditional models, co-collaboration emphasises shared agency, mutual learning, and reciprocal involvement in exchanging ideas and skills (Brown, 2014). Within projects involving individuals who experience conditions unfamiliar to the practitioner, co-collaboration is vital, ensuring that artistic representations are informed by lived experience rather than external interpretation. This methodology directly underpins my approach, allowing the translation of chromesthetic experience into immersive visual and sonic works.

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Rather than positioning the practitioner as the “expert” and the participant as the “subject,” co-collaboration acknowledges both as equal contributors to knowledge production and creative exploration. This approach also helps avoid misrepresentation, fostering meaningfully engagement with differences and celebrate, rather than diminish, the richness of diverse experiences. However, findings suggest that true co-collaboration in this context remains relatively rare. Many projects still rely on interpretative or autobiographical methods, where either an outsider’s view or a personal account dominates.

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This project addresses this gap by adopting a co-collaborative model in which artistic and research practices are co-created through reciprocal dialogue, allowing multiple insights to inform the work collectively.

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Research question

 

How can we, as artists, create work about a condition we do not experience ourselves, such as chromesthesia, and is co-collaborating with those who do the most authentic way to translate its manifestation?

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Aims

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This project aims to explore the dynamics of artistic co-collaboration between artists and individuals with perceptual or neurological conditions that the artist does not personally experience.

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• To explore how co-collaboration can address gaps in the artistic representation of chromesthetic perception.

• Create an immersive, multi-sensory installation that materialises sound through the combined use of ferrofluids, electromagnetism, and digital projection

• Reflect on the role of co-collaboration and dialogue in the development of sensory-based art practices.

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Literature review

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In recent years, there has been growing interest in interdisciplinary and collaborative artistic practices that engage with neurodiversity. Artists increasingly explore ways of working with individuals who experience the world differently, through sensory, perceptual, or cognitive variations, raising questions about authorship, agency, and the value of shared creative processes. This is particularly relevant to projects involving neurological conditions such as Chromesthesia, where lived experience is central to accurate and meaningful representation.

Artistic research is moving beyond solitary practice to embrace co-collaborative methods, integrating the perspectives of individuals with unique sensory or cognitive experiences. Such approaches challenge traditional divisions between researcher and subject, emphasising the importance of lived experience in shaping both process and outcome. When artists work with conditions they do not personally share, co-collaboration offers a means to ensure authenticity and ethical engagement.

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Daria Martin – The Sensorium Test (2018)

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Daria Martin, a Professor of Art and Director of Research at the Ruskin; she is a Fellow of St
John's College, a filmmaker and artist whose work frequently explores sensory perception,
embodiment, and neurological conditions. She has created several films, books and
symposia about synaesthesia.

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In her project ‘Sensorium Tests’ (2018) and ‘At the Threshold’ (2018) Daria explores the relationship between art, science and empathy (Wellcome Collection. 2018) as she examines mirror-touch synaesthesia, a rare form of synaesthesia where individuals feel the sensations of touch on their own bodies when they see someone else being touched (Nall, R 2020).

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The representation of this condition challenges the audience’s conventional understandings of perception, as it blurs the boundaries between self and other. Rather than assuming an outsider perspective, Martin’s work attempts to bridge the gap between first-person experience and artistic interpretation. While Martin’s approach is sensitive and interdisciplinary, it remains largely artist-led; participants contributed insight but not direct creative control. This highlights a limitation of co-design approaches that stop short of full co-collaboration. My project differs by adopting a model of ongoing co-collaboration with a Chromesthetic participant, integrating their input into every phase of development.

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 Daria Martin Sensorium Tests (2018)

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Kerry Tribe - Aphasia Poetry Club (2015)

Kerry Tribe’s Aphasia Poetry Club (2015) serves as an important reference point for this research, demonstrating how co-collaborative artistic processes can authentically engage with lived experiences. Kerry is an American, interdisciplinary artist and film maker, her practice explores elusive aspects of human consciousness including memory, love and doubt.

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Aphasia Poetry Club (2015) A cinematic-scale three-channel video installation, is narrated by three individuals, investigating the experiences of living with Aphasia (Tribe, K. 2015) a neurological condition that affects how you communicate (Mayo Clinic, 2022) in which the language centres of the brain are damaged, usually the result of stroke or brain injury. Tribe, a neurotypical artist, demonstrates that disability in contemporary art is no longer used primarily as a political or spiritual symbol, but is increasingly regarded as a meaningful source of creative innovation and new ways of thinking. Tribe did not simply observe people with aphasia, she worked closely with and interviewed three individuals who lived with aphasia and turned their story into a powerful video and installation (Teplitzky, 2015).

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While participatory, the final structure and aesthetic of the work remain mediated by the artist, meaning participants influence but do not co-author the output. In contrast, my project collaborates with a chromesthetic participant throughout all phases, integrating their input into conceptual, material, and aesthetic decisions

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Kerry Tribe The Aphasia Poetry Club (2015)

Melissa McCracken

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Melissa McCracken, an American artist and synesthete, translates her own chromesthetic experiences directly into fluid, layered oil paintings that reflect the rhythm and movement of music (McCracken, n.d.). Unlike Martin or Tribe, who engage in collaborative methods to access experiences beyond their own, McCracken’s work emerges entirely from her lived perception, offering an unmediated expression of Chromesthesia.

In contrast, my project navigates the challenge of representing a condition I do not personally experience. By collaborating closely with a chromesthetic participant throughout every stage of the creative process, my practice seeks to combine the authenticity of lived experience with the technological and immersive experimentation that McCracken’s paintings do not employ.

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Melissa McCracken Pools/Waves (2018)

 

Conclusion

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Looking across these case studies, a pattern becomes clear: Martin and Tribe prioritise co-collaboration to centre participant experience, while McCracken shows the depth and immediacy that comes from insider knowledge. My project brings these approaches together, combining the authentic insights of a chromesthetic collaborator with immersive, multi-sensory experimentation.

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Unlike Martin, whose films are largely artist-led, and Tribe, whose participatory work filters participant input through performative structures, I maintain ongoing dialogue with my collaborator throughout every stage, from conceptual development to material and aesthetic choices. At the same time, inspired by McCracken’s unmediated translations of her own perception, the work seeks to honour the richness of chromesthetic experience while extending it into interactive, embodied forms that the audience can engage with directly.

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In doing this, my project fills a gap in existing practice, offering a model of co-collaborative, immersive synesthetic art that blends ethical authorship, technological exploration, and sensory experimentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Vicky Iddon Earthy (2025)

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Methodology - Participatory Action Based Research in Art Making Practices (PABR)

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Participatory arts-based research can be broadly defined as an approach that prioritises the value of experiential knowledge (Cornish et al., 2023), a research approach in which people collaborate with researchers in ‘art making as a way of knowing’ (Leavy, P. 2018) and as an artist’s process that utilises artworks to further understand human experiences, and allowing for the possibility of opening up new ways of seeing and experiencing and bridging power divides found in disciplinary learning where many students have traditionally been excluded (Cawelti et al., 2024) which further can be used to explore issues in the wider social sciences (Greenwood, J. 2019)

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PABR in art-based research, both rejects the idea that knowledge exists only in written theories or academic analysis, instead, they recognise that making, experimenting, and engaging with materials, people, and artistic processes generate knowledge.

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Evaluation

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This section critically reflects on the development and outcomes of my project, considering both the creative and collaborative processes.

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To structure this reflection, I have drawn on Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988), which provides a systematic approach to analysing experiences and learning from them. Using this framework, I will explore what happened during the project, my thoughts and feelings throughout, the successes and challenges encountered, and the lessons learned.

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1. Description – What happened?

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Throughout this project, I worked closely with a chromesthetic collaborator to explore how sound can be translated into visual and physical forms. The work took shape as immersive installations combining ferrofluids manipulated by electromagnetism, projected digital visuals, and sound-generated vibrations. We engaged in ongoing dialogue, testing how their experiences of colour and movement in response to sound could be represented in a multi-sensory way. My practice evolved through trial and error, constant experimentation, and iterative feedback from my collaborator.

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2. Feelings – What were you thinking and feeling?

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Initially, I felt both excitement and apprehension. I was excited by the potential to create work that makes Chromesthesia perceptible to audiences, but anxious about accurately representing a condition I do not experience. At times, I worried that my interpretations might overshadow my collaborator’s lived experience or misrepresent it. Working with new technologies and materials was also challenging, but it became exhilarating as I began to see how the collaborative process allowed the work to develop in unexpected and rich ways, and we created a unique visual language together.

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3. Evaluation – What was good or bad about the experience?

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One of the most positive aspects of the project was the open communication between myself, my chromesthetic collaborator, and a technical collaborator. We all learned from each other’s expertise and perspectives, discovering new ways of thinking about sound, visual form, and immersive technologies. The project encouraged reflection on our own creative practices, sparked discussions about chromesthesia, and allowed us to develop a new visual language together. It was enjoyable and empowering to work collaboratively toward a shared goal.

However, there were challenges. Time management was a recurring issue, as different schedules meant progress was often delayed. Due to time and collaboration, I was unable to complete all components of the project simultaneously, although I managed to document the process individually. The project also involved dependency on others, which sometimes conflicted with my desire for creative autonomy. Differences in working styles and technical skill levels created moments of friction, and receiving input from only one chromesthetic collaborator meant that the visual outcomes reflect a single perspective rather than a broader spectrum of experience.

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4. Analysis – Why did things go well or badly?

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The project succeeded in fostering learning, collaboration, and experimentation because of the commitment to dialogue and shared problem-solving. Open communication and mutual respect allowed each collaborator to contribute their expertise, enhancing both the creative and technical aspects of the work.

Challenges, including schedule conflicts, unequal technical contributions, and creative negotiation, arose largely due to the experimental nature of the work and the complexity of integrating multiple disciplines: art, technology, and sensory research. The single-Chromesthetic input, while rich, limited the inclusivity of the visual representation.

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5. Conclusion – What else could you have done?

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To strengthen the project, I could have sought input from multiple Chromesthetic participants, providing a wider range of experiences to inform the visual and sensory translation of sound. More structured planning around schedules and roles could have reduced delays and clarified responsibilities. Additionally, dedicating time to align working styles and technical competencies could have improved efficiency and collaboration balance.

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6. Action Plan – What would you do differently next time?

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In future projects, I would involve multiple Chromesthetic collaborators, or other representations of neurodiversity’s to create a more inclusive representation of perception. I would also schedule regular, structured check-ins to manage time effectively and ensure equitable contribution from all collaborators. Clearer initial agreements around roles, responsibilities, and creative decision-making would help maintain balance between co-authorship and creative autonomy.

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Finally, I would explore additional methods for audience interaction and feedback to evaluate how immersive experiences communicate Chromesthetic perception beyond the studio context.

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 Vicky Iddon Visual Language (2025)

 

Discussion

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This project aimed to explore how chromesthesia, a sensory condition I do not experience, can be translated into immersive, multi-sensory artwork through co-collaboration. Reflecting on the process, genuine dialogue with my chromesthetic collaborator was central to producing work that is both authentic and experimentally rich.

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Compared to the literature explored, Daria Martin’s Sensorium Tests and Kerry Tribe’s Aphasia Poetry Club, where participant input was mediated, and artist Melissa McCracken, whose work emerges from lived experience, my project occupies a hybrid space. It combines the depth of authentic sensory input with the creative freedom to experiment with technology and materiality, creating a model of co-authorship in immersive art.

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The project succeeded in several ways. Open communication and collaborative problem-solving fostered a rich exchange of knowledge across art, technology, and sensory perception. This process enabled the creation of a new visual language that translated chromesthetic experience into forms that audiences could see, feel, and engage with. It also encouraged reflection on our own practices, sparking insights into interdisciplinary work and generating meaningful conversations about sensory diversity and neurodivergence.

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However, the project also faced limitations. Time constraints and the need to coordinate multiple collaborators meant that not all components could be developed simultaneously. Technical experimentation, particularly with ferrofluids and projection mapping, required iterative troubleshooting, and differences in working styles occasionally slowed progress. While this project primarily involved one chromesthetic collaborator, the methodology is designed to be adaptable to other neurodivergent experiences, including individuals with ADHD, autism, and other sensory variations, highlighting the potential for more inclusive applications.

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A significant outcome of the project is the development of the ChromaSensorium Box, a self-contained, transportable kit housing the tools, materials, and sensory experiences central to the work. This portable “laboratory” allows the immersive translation of chromesthetic perception to be experienced in multiple contexts and provides a platform for ongoing co-collaborative research. Looking ahead, I aim to use the ChromaSensorium Box to collaborate with musicians and bands, translating live sound into immersive visual and physical experiences.

This would extend the project’s co-collaborative principles, integrating real-time performance, audience interaction, and neurodivergent insight into a dynamic, multi-sensory practice.

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This project contributes to knowledge in both artistic practice and co-collaborative methodology. By working closely with a chromesthetic collaborator throughout all stages of development, it demonstrates a model of true co-authorship, moving beyond inspiration-led or mediated approaches. The integration of immersive, multi-sensory techniques, including ferrofluids, electromagnetism, sound-generated vibrations, and projected visuals, offers a novel way to represent the chromesthetic experience, making it tangible and engaging for audiences. Combining art, technology, and scientific experimentation, the project establishes an interdisciplinary framework for effectively translating perceptual experiences that I as the practitioner does not personally experience. In doing so, it bridges the gap between mediated collaboration and insider artistic practice, advancing co-collaborative, sensory-informed art.

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Overall, the project highlights the potential of immersive co-collaborative research to generate new artistic languages, deepen understanding of neurodivergent perception, and provide a replicable model for ethical, participant-led creative practice. It has also deepened my appreciation for the rich possibilities that lie at the intersection of art, technology, and sensory differences, prompting me to reflect on how I can further develop my practice to be more inclusive of diverse sensory experiences and continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible in immersive art.

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References

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Brown, M. (2023) ‘Co-Collaboration’ Fairsnape. 2nd May[online] Available at:

https://fairsnape.com/2014/05/02/co-collaboration/ [Accessed on 13th April 2025]

 

Cawelti, L., Mueller, J., Dahn, M., Adesida, T., Cuéllar, N. and Peppler, K. (2024) An Artist/Researcher Model for Participatory Action Research in Transdisciplinary Learning Contexts. VUE (Voices in Urban Education), 52(2) [online]. doi: https://doi.org/10.35240/vue.113  [Accessed on 22nd April 2025].

 

Exceptional Individuals. (2023). What is Synesthesia? | Causes & Symptoms. [online] Available at: https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/what-is-synesthesia/. [Accessed on 28th October 2024]

 

Greenwood, J. (2019) Arts - Based Research [online] Available at: https://oxfordre.com/education/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264093-e-29 [Accessed on 2nd March 2025]

 

Justice, A. (2024). How Does Chromesthesia Affect The Brain? | BetterHelp. [online]. Available at: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/synesthesia/how-does-chromesthesia-affect-the-brain/. [Accessed on 2nd November 2024]

 

Mayo Clinic (2022). Aphasia - symptoms and causes. [online] Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/aphasia/symptoms-causes/syc-20369518. [Accessed 27th April 2025]

 

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McLeod, S. (2025) Gibbs Reflective Cycle, Simply Psychology. Simply Psychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/gibbs-reflective-cycle.html. [Accessed on 5th August 2025]

 

Melissa S. McCracken. (n.d.). Melissa S. McCracken. [online] Available at: https://www.melissasmccracken.com/.

 

Nall, R. (2020) Is Mirror Touch Synesthesia a Real Thing? [online]. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/neurological-health/mirror-touch-synesthesia [Accessed on 29th March 2025].

 

Ransome, S. (2024). SARAH RANSOME ART. [online] SARAH RANSOME ART. Available at: https://www.sarahransomeart.com/blog. [Accessed on 29th March 2025]

 

Teplitzky, A. (2015) In Kerry Tribe’s Artworks, Forgetting Leads to Creating [online]. Available at: https://creative-capital.org/2015/04/07/in-kerry-tribes-artworks-forgetting-leads-to-creating/ [Accessed on 19th February 2025].

 

The Synesthesia Tree. (2021)  Definition of projective and associative synesthesia / projector and associator. [online] Available at: https://www.thesynesthesiatree.com/2021/02/definition-of-projective-and.html. [Accessed on 11th August 2025]

 

Van Campen, C. (2007) The Hidden Sense. Synaesthesia in art and science. Massachusetts. The MIT press.

 

Wellcome Collection (2018) Daria Martin on ‘Sensorium Tests’ and ‘At the Threshold’[online]. Available at: https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/daria-martin-on--sensorium-tests--and--at-the-threshold- [Accessed on 15th March 2025].

 

West, Kanye. (2016) Interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 19 May. Available at: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/kanye-west-ellen-learned-rant-39229709 [Accessed on 7th May 2025]

 

www.sciencedirect.com. (n.d.). Ferrofluid - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [online] Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/ferrofluid [Accessed 18th August 2025]

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