Editorials & Other Articles

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts) Wed Feb 15, 2012, 03:07 PM Feb 2012

The man who hears colour

Artist Neil Harbisson is completely colour-blind. Here, he explains how a camera attached to his head allows him to hear colour.

Until I was 11, I didn't know I could only see in shades of grey. I thought I could see colours but that I was confusing them.

When I was diagnosed with achromatopsia [a rare vision disorder], it was a bit of a shock but at least we knew what was wrong. Doctors said it was impossible to cure.

When I was 16, I decided to study art. I told my tutor I could only see in black and white, and his first reaction was, "What the hell are you doing here then?" I told him I really wanted to understand what colour was.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16681630

11 replies

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Highlight:

The man who hears colour (Original Post) dipsydoodle Feb 2012 OP

Du rec. Nt xchrom Feb 2012 #1

LSD research might be useful here. tridim Feb 2012 #2

IIRC AlecBGreen Feb 2012 #6

Ayahuasca need special preparations, however Scootaloo Feb 2012 #8

Really very ann--- Feb 2012 #3

This is a fascinating story. Uncle Joe Feb 2012 #4

Sounds like an Oliver Sacks case. dixiegrrrrl Feb 2012 #5

I think you'll find this interesting too. dipsydoodle Feb 2012 #9

That always amazes me. dixiegrrrrl Feb 2012 #10

I hear colours too. Tripod Feb 2012 #7

FASCINATING!!!! calimary Feb 2012 #11

xchrom

(108,903 posts)

1. Du rec. Nt

Reply to dipsydoodle (Original post)

Wed Feb 15, 2012, 03:15 PM

Feb 2012

tridim

(45,358 posts)

2. LSD research might be useful here.

Reply to dipsydoodle (Original post)

Wed Feb 15, 2012, 03:30 PM

Feb 2012

But alas LSD is Schedule I with no medical value. The government has spoken and so it shall be.

AlecBGreen

(3,874 posts)

6. IIRC

Reply to tridim (Reply #2)

Wed Feb 15, 2012, 10:28 PM

Feb 2012

both Ayahuasca and mescaline-containing cacti are legal for purchase. There are also other hallucigenic susbstances all around us: morning glory, jimsonweed, nutmeg, etc.

Scootaloo

(25,699 posts)

8. Ayahuasca need special preparations, however

Reply to AlecBGreen (Reply #6)

Thu Feb 16, 2012, 04:17 AM

Feb 2012

You're not going to get anything out of it without the brewing that a knowledgeable ayahuascero does with it.
I would strongly advise against anyone playing with Jimsonweed.
Nutmeg gives you a hangover that makes you feel like you were the ball in an elephant polo game
And morning glory... takes a LOT of seeds to get anything out of it. And as with jimsonweed, dosage can be tricky.
Peyote and most of its relatives are also schedule I, barring membership in the NAC.

Trust me, if i had to choose between legal risk getting LSD, or eating a heap of nutmeg? I'd risk the cops, no kidding

ann---

(1,933 posts)

3. Really very

Reply to dipsydoodle (Original post)

Wed Feb 15, 2012, 03:44 PM

Feb 2012

interesting.

Uncle Joe

(58,425 posts)

4. This is a fascinating story.

Reply to dipsydoodle (Original post)

Wed Feb 15, 2012, 04:01 PM

Feb 2012

Thanks for the thread, dipsydoodle.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

5. Sounds like an Oliver Sacks case.

Reply to dipsydoodle (Original post)

Wed Feb 15, 2012, 08:01 PM

Feb 2012

Fascinating.

Thanks for posting, dipsy.

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)

9. I think you'll find this interesting too.

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Reply #5)

Thu Feb 16, 2012, 09:04 AM

Feb 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia_in_art

and this too on the subject of Kandinsky : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3653012/The-man-who-heard-his-paintbox-hiss.html

We had a tv documentary of the subject of Synesthesia some years back. I was fascinated both by an old lady who could see sound in colour, they took her to a jazz club much to her delight and she said all she could see was rainbows all around her , and an artist who could taste colour.