Sweet Sight of Music Exhibit Focuses on Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900 by Michael Coleman The idea of seeing sounds—in the form of shapes and colors—has been a mainstay of the psychedelic rock music scene pretty much since its inception in the 1960s. In a rock music context, the phenomenon is often assumed to be triggered by ingesting powerful psychedelic drugs such as LSD or so-called “magic mushrooms.” Certain bands—such as Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience—also helped audiences experience it through dazzling light shows synchronized to the music at their concerts. But the fact is, the phenomenon of “seeing” colors when one hears sounds, or even “hearing” sounds when tasting something is much older than psychedelic rock. And some people can achieve these sensations without the assistance of mind-bending chemicals. Some of these people were, or are, very talented artists, and some of their best work is currently on display at the Hirshhorn Museum. “Visual Music” showcases synaesthesia in art and music since 1900 with more than 100 works by some 40 artists who aimed to emulate the condition of music in their art. The exhibition features paintings, experimental films, color organs and contemporary installations. Taken as a whole, the exhibition has a, well, rather trippy feel to it. It’s a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds—sometimes effectively bleeding together, sometimes not. The exhibition follows the evolution of music in art from abstract painting through experimental film and contemporary installation art, and includes an international range of works by Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Oskar Fischinger, Jennifer Steinkamp and others. The works trace the concept of synaesthesia over time and reveal how the multimedia installations of today advance concepts in paintings created a century ago. The definition of synaesthesia (more commonly spelled in America as “synesthesia”) is a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color. “Visual Music” aims to show the viewer what such a phenomenon feels like. To some degree it succeeds, although I walked away from the exhibit thinking the concept of synaesthesia was more interesting than some—not all—of the actual art on display. One other minor complaint about an otherwise enjoyable exhibit experience: It’s not clear which of these artists actually experienced synaesthesia and which of them simply attempted to describe it through their art. Having said that, Kandinsky’s use of colors in “Fragment 2 for Composition VII” are gorgeous, and you do get a sense of the effect he is trying to describe through his art. The same can be said of works by Klee and Georgia O’Keeffe. The shapes in the many of the abstract paintings on display seem to ripple, or reverberate, in a way that suggests a limitless space. As abstract painting evolved, artists such as Viking Eggeling and Hans Richter set painting in motion, capturing a series of hand-produced images on black-and-white or hand-tinted films, some of which are also on display. It’s easy to appreciate the color organ slides and abstract works from the first half of the 20th century. Filled with dancing dots and pulsating blobs of color, some of these works seem repetitious and even quaint in today’s computer-generated world. But the visuals must have been a marvel to viewers who first witnessed them all those years ago. The exhibition continues chronologically, introducing visitors to the technological wizardry of the Whitney brothers, who created compositions of quivering energy particles set to music in the 1950s. These “cosmic films” were a precursor to the psychedelic light shows that came along a decade later. Finally, the exhibition takes us into the modern era, incorporating multiple video projections, amplified sounds and computer-generated imagery. Whether you can taste it or smell it though depends on your own biological makeup. “Visual Music” runs through Sept. 11 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, located at Independence Avenue and 7th Street, SW. For more information, please call (202) 633-1000 or visit www.hirshhorn.si.edu. Michael Coleman is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.