CONFERENCIANTE PRINCIPAL/ INVITED SPEAKER

• Hinderk Emrich , MD, PhD. Hannover Medical School

Abstract: Top-down processes, synaesthesia and the art – is „binding“ a top-down phenomenon?

H.M. Emrich, Ch. Sinke, J. Neufeld-

Synaesthesia represents a neuropsychologically exciting perceptual phenomenon, in which the norm-variant represents a hyper-integrative, hyper-binding quality within special perceptual processes. The intriguing problem herin is represented by the question, as to which “internal dialogue” within the constitution of inner “perceptual reality” is different in comparison to non synaesthete-subjects. fMRI-studies of the Hanover group give hints into the direction of the presence of a hyper-connectivity of conceptualization processes and a hyper-integration due to the activity of these assemblies. The hypothesis is generated, that this top-down-activity by itself represents the “binding” ability of mind and that these abilities are of great importance in regard of the productivity of synaisthesis-processes within the arts.

PONENCIAS/ SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

• Edward M. Hubbard, PhD Post-Doctoral Fellow Vanderbilt University Department of Psychology and Human Development Peabody College . Nashville, TN 37203-5721

Cross-activation, percepts and concepts: The advantages of a physiological theory

Edward M. Hubbard, Vanderbilt University

Recently, the suggestion that “synesthesia” might really be a sort of “ideasthesia” has received a great deal of attention. In this talk, I will present several criticisms of this proposal. The first is theoretical, going back to the earliest days of psychology. It is difficult to draw a firm dividing line between perception, conception and motor processes, and we now recognize the degree to which the brain automatically, involuntarily, and unconsciously translates between various different representations. This division between perception and conception is thus arbitrary and semantically laden. The second criticism is empirical, based on psychological and neuroscientific evidence that the mechanisms of perception, imagery, conception, and action broadly overlap. As such, conceptualrepresentations automatically activate and elicit perceptual representations: indeed, many theorists (e.g., Lakoff and Johnson, Barsalou, etc.) have argued that activation of associated perceptual-motor schemas is in fact constitutive of understand conceptual representations. The third is developmental: education and training lead to the construction of specialized circuits that allow individuals to automatically perceive and categorize stimuli that were once understood only conceptually. These considerations demonstrate the advantages of a neuroscientifically-based physiological theory of synesthesia over psychological ones. For example in the case of grapheme-color synesthesia, independent of whether mental imagery is thought of as perceptual, conceptual or quasi-conceptual, synesthetic colors would be elicited via activation of populations of neurons in the fusiform gyrus tuned to letters and numbers, whether those populations are activated in a bottom-up manner (via perception) or in a top-down manner (via imagery).

• Sean A Day, PhD. Dept. of English & Journalism; Dept. of Behavior and Soc. Sciences Trident Technical College Charleston, SC  29423  USA This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (843) 574-6539

Some extra-genetic phylogenetic, ontological and cultural factors which might affect synesthesiae

In his recent book, Ramachandran (2011) discusses mirror-neuron synesthesia in humans, and then proceeds to mention that, while orangutans also have such neurons, their systems are nowhere near as complex as ours.  However, as White et al. (2009) point out, we are not descended from pongids.  Recent synesthesia research has developed a fascination with finding “the synesthesia gene”; however, many following this pursuit have lost much of the context.  Not only is there a Human Genome Project, led by Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, there is also a Neanderthal Genome Project.  Green et al. (2010) point out that, except for those of exclusively Sub-Saharan African ancestry, we carry between 1% – 4% Neanderthal genes.  So, if we are looking at genetics and neuro-anatomy regarding mirror-neurons and synesthesia, it might benefit us more to explore our relationships with our closest ancestors – Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo erectus – rather than making comparison to modern-day pongids; particularly in light that some subgroups of Neanderthals may have developed rudiments of language before extinction ca. 30,000 years ago. 
Yet, factors influencing the development of synesthesiae transcend genetics.  We must also consider environment and diet, and their impact on biochemistry via nutrition, diseases, and parasites.  Cultural factors such as language, literacy, and constraints on food choices can also influence synesthesiae, as can drugs (prescription, non-prescription, or generally available).  We need to also keep in mind that both non-congenital synesthetes and congenital synesthetes alike can experience drug-induced, hypnagogic, or other forms of adventitious synesthesia, and usually do so in the same way.
This presentation explores aspects of synesthesia beyond the genetic, but towards the point of tying things together and back to a more complete view of how the genetic components fit into the bigger picture.

Keywords: genetics, Neanderthals, mirror-neurons, culture, adventitious synesthesiae

• Dina Riccò Ph.D.Politecnico di Milano ( Italy ), INDACO Department, School of design, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

"synesthetic access to visual contents: ways of the communication design to offer vicarious informations"

This paper discusses the synesthesia as vicarious access, or as way of having access through substitutive sensory to a visual content. Particularly it faces the ways of the audio of “to make to see” without visual input, when perceptive limits - physiological, pathological, or environmental - exclude the vision.
This paper discusses the synesthesia as vicarious access, or as way of having access through substitutive sensory to a visual content. It faces the ways of the audio of “to make to see” without visual input, when perceptive limits – physiological, pathological, or environmental – exclude the vision.  
In general it considers two principal ways of access to the information: synaesthetical translations and synaesthetical synthesis, in accord to the synaesthetic practices in the arts (Riccò, 1999).
Particularly it discusses the results of an exercise of phenomenological description – proposed to a group of students of the Communication design, according to the method of audiovisual analysis of Michel Chion (1990) – done during the listening of a short film (without the visual projection).
The analysis of the results underlines as the different possibilities of the audio – in form of description (oral component) and of sonorous landscape (component sonorous/musical) – if well projected, can allow a correct representation of the visual narration, the identification of the characters, of the actions, of the environmental context, also with a fruition to eyes closed. In substance to sustain the importance of a synesthetic direction in the audio/video communication design.

Keywords: synesthesia, blindness, inclusive design, audio/visual.

Condiciones de Participación

Any person interested to participate in the IV International Congress Synesthesia, Science and Art, Almería 2012, 16 - 19 Febrary 2012, it will make their inscription in one of the following modalities::

The best five(5) selected proposals. (Submitted before May 1st, 2011) do not pay registration.

For students' groups (starting from 5: 70€)

VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE ENROLLMENT OPTION: 300 €

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Concept: Synesthesia Congress

Save the original receipt of income along with a photocopy of your ID and send This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

International exhibition of video and moving image on synesthesia and visual music

Palacio de los Condes de Gabia (Granada, Spain) and Almeria University

16 th -19 th of February 2012

Entry form (Call Muvi3)

Call Muvi3 Pdf file

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Call for kinetic works

MuVi3 invites artists, musicians, designers and performers, also professors and university students, to submit

proposals of kinetic works to be part of a public exhibition, with performances and discussions.

Visual Music exhibition is part of the Fourth International Congress "Synaesthesia: Science & Art", to be held

from the 18th to the 19th of February 2012, Palacio de los Condes de Gabia (Granada, Spain) and Almeria University.