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DESIGN GOAL AND RESEARCH QUESTION(S)

MAPPING AND TAGGING TOPICS

GROUPING AND CATEGORISING

Synesthesia

Storytelling --> Daily Life

Storytelling --> Through Music

Synesthesia

Storytelling --> Daily Life

Music Videoclip Format

Synesthesia

Mixing Cultures

Storytelling --> Through Music

The ability to mix senses

Unity in experiencing senses

Synesthesia is when your brain routes sensory information through multiple unrelated senses, causing you to experience more than one sense simultaneously.

Mixing cognitive pathways

Experiencing senses

Example: Tasting words or linking colors to numbers and letters.

Visual storytelling through music

Visual representation

Different cultures

Different routines and habits

Different daily lives

Why do we want to recognise ourselves in others? In each others daily lives?

Social connection

Why do we watch video logs(vlogs) on YouTube for example?

Social division, the (man/media made) division dividing of society

Case study: artist Mogli (Selima Taibi) with her cinematographic album RAVAGE

10 songs
10 visual episodes (videoclips)
1 album
1 full movie

Finding ways to formulate the topic

"Synesthesia isn’t common, but it isn’t rare, either. Experts estimate at least 4% of people worldwide experience it. However, that number may be higher because there are so many possible forms of synesthesia. Some experts estimate that certain forms of synesthesia — especially time-space synesthesia — may affect as many as 1 in 8 people. It’s also possible that synesthesia is so natural for some people that they experience it and don’t realize what it is."

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24995-synesthesia

"Featuring the 10 songs from Ravage, the fully-choreographed movie contains no dialogue and is neither a soundtrack to the movie nor a visual album: It’s a whole body of work that features an illuminating dystopian to utopian transformation."

"The combination of music and visuals, the powerful performances of Mogli and her pack, the passion everyone put in, makes RAVAGE a truly unique project."

https://mogliofficial.com/ravage/

"problem"

social divisions

The (man/media made) division of society/ of humanity

Relevance in Design Context

Ways of documenting daily life, so it can be seen/ told over and over again.

Relevance in Social Context

I want to research if we really are so different from each other. Or are we more the same/ connected (to each other) than we think? Do we have more similarities than we think/ "they" make us believe?

Options
1. experience centre --> where visitors can experience different sense combinations (tasting colors etc.) --> to stimulate and develop/activate your brain, experience to use your brain differently, come to insights/ get more creative/ develop differently. ?an lsd trip without drugs? --> also for people who don't have it or do not recognise themselves with any form of synesthesia.

In the form of an exhibition or traveling circus? Will people buy tickets for this, in the form of a festival ticket? A trip through the senses?

2. writing a book/ making a documentary to explain what synesthesia is and how people can recognise it --> more understanding

What --> Synesthesia

Group of Related Keywords -->

condition

connection between different pathways, connection between different senses

mixing cognitive pathways

experiencing senses

personal

Questions Regarding This Theme

- Does everyone (unconditionally) experience some sort of synesthesia? Can only a few people experience synesthesia, or can it be made?
- Are there categories in what people can experience? Or is it personal and is literally everything possible?

- Do we need to label it?
- What are the numbers and is it measurable?
- Is synesthesia a condition, is it harmful?
- Are people with synesthesia more likely to be categorised somewhere within the (autistic) spectrum? Is this useful to know?

- Can synesthesia be helpful? (more cognitive brain connections, more insights?)
- Does it benefit your (creative) abilities for example?
- Can it be a joyful experience? Is there some fun in experiencing it?

What --> Storytelling --> Daily life

Group of Related Keywords -->

personal representation

daily ordinary life experience

common (community)

log(book)/ diary reading

v(ideo)log watching via YouTube

video(format)

older generations telling stories to the younger generations

Questions Regarding This Theme

- Why do we feel the urge to capture and spread? Why do we do storytelling? What is the need/ importance?

- Is daily life interesting? What makes it interesting?
- Why do we read diaries or watch vlogs?
- Does it involve recognition?
- Does it involve connection?

- Are there more ways to capture and spread stories/ daily life stories?

- Storytelling in the past --> telling a story

What --> Storytelling --> Through Music

Group of Related Keywords -->

visual & music/ songs

videoclip format (video format)

transfer/ convey/ experience --> emotions

made up story --> made up scenes --> based on real life experiences?

moving images

Questions Regarding This Theme

- Is a videoclip a specific format? Is it specific in goal/ combination of video and music/ time length/ medium to experience it? Are there more formats like this?

- Why is it beneficial (for the story of the song) to experience video in addition to music? Is it beneficial?
- Does a videoclip add to the story of the song? Does it strengthen the message an artist has in mind for example?
- Does a video clip make it harder for you to relate the music to your own life and experiences?

- Can a videoclip be considered art? or design maybe?

case study --> Mogli, RAVAGE
- What is the difference between a videoclip and a cinematographic album?
- Why does Mogli choses to call her visual music representation a cinematographic album?
- Is it different in format?

Storytelling --> Daily Life

Storytelling --> Through Music

-

Write down your (preliminary) design goal or research question

Vertically

Big words

Sub questions

Bigger picture (why)

Reformulate

I am interested in synesthesia and want to research the different cognitive pathways. I would like to formulate the topic and come up with a way that makes synesthesia accessible/understandable and able to experience for everyone.

I am interested in storytelling and how it relates to our daily lives. I want to research the evolution, from telling a story to the "vlog" concept and format. I want to keep it close and relatable to society.

I am interested in (visual) storytelling and how this translates into music (videoclips). I want to research the music video clip format and goal.

(personal) interest

visual storytelling

translate

into

music

videoclips

format

goal

(personal) interest

synesthesia

different cognitive pathways (and the mix synesthesia makes)

formulate --> why? --> understandable

accesible

for everyone

experience

(personal) interest

storytelling

relates to our daily lives

evolution

telling a story

vlog

concept

format

close

relatable

society

Explain the format and Explain the variations -->
Is a videoclip a specific format?
- are they all the same regarding time/ size/ process of making (medium)/ goal/ etc.
What are videoclips aiming for?

Do music video clips also have genres, as we differentiate between music genres?

Relevance in Design Context

What are the limits regarding video formats?
When do we name a videoclip art or design?

Relevance in Social Context

Videoclips as a translation/ visual representation of a story/ a story based on feelings/ of an emotional story
(relevance needs a bit more for this pitch--> research)

Relevance in Design Context

The synesthesia experience for everyone

Relevance in Social Context

Recognition for people with synesthesia, (more) understanding regarding the topic synesthesia

Research the cultural differences within daily routines and habits.
- In what are we different/ the same?

What was the importance of telling stories, why and how did we begin doing it?
The evolution --> Do we make vlogs for the same reason?

Is watching a vlog a form of entertainment? Why do we enjoy it?

Explain cognitive pathways -->
What are cognitive pathways/ how many are there? Is this measurable?
What happens when someone has synesthesia, how does this work within the brain? How do you mix pathways?

Explain synesthesia -->
How can people recognise synesthesia by themselves?
Can people make use of synesthesia? Can people learn to use synesthesia?
Can synesthesia be beneficial? Or is there a need for more understanding because living with synesthesia can be hard as well? (Does it bring difficulties?)

Can we make a fun experience out of it? --> entertainment can be a "bigger picture" as well

Traditional storytelling
--> myths and legends (fairytales)
--> to transfer knowledge, explain and teach the younger generation

Group STORYTELLING

storytelling as a medium for translation/ representation

storytelling in different formats
-->diaries or vlogs etc.
-->videoclips

technical team

moving images based on real life experiences

a videoclip can be seen on YouTube as well

Group CONNECTION
Connection between the senses (synesthesia)
Connection between social experiences, connection between each other (storytelling daily life)
Connection between the senses hearing and sight, connected to emotions (storytelling through music)
Connection with medium (technical connection) human with device

Questions regarding the theme/ group CONNECTION

Can "connection" be a group as well, or is it way too broad?

Are we looking/ in need for some sort of connection? Am I? --> personal interest

More unity within humanity - Can I contribute even a tiny bit to this? Or address it in a way..

...

Questions regarding the theme/ group STORYTELLING

If a video clip is used to convey the story of the accompanying music, do we speak of moving images as a translation of the music? Does this correspond to the moving images we see when watching a vlog? What is the difference in translating images for a music video clip and a vlog?

If music is about conveying feeling and emotion, is the accompanying visuals also about this? And how does that compare to a vlog? Do vloggers convey emotions with the visuals of their vlog, or can they achieve the same with audio alone? Is feeling and emotion less the starting point here?

What is the difference in (technical) format, can they be compared?

How can I, as an artist/ designer, explore and communicate the topic of synesthesia by contextualizing its pros and cons, and create a multisensory, interactive experience that invites both people with and without synesthesia to engage, exchange perspectives, and reflect through shared sensory encounters/ experiences?

prototyping the synesthesia experience and making this public

formulate the topic synesthesia by analysing, reading, interviewing, (re)searching, ..

To get a better idea of the relevance for research into the topic of synesthesia, I searched for various experts who have worked with this topic. Listed some interesting ones. (to remember and further research)

Relevance in Social Context --> sensory inclusion & accessibility --> using synesthetic principles in design to include more sensory modes of communication
--> communication that stimulates (tingles) the senses

Psychology & Neuroscience --> Neurologist Richard E. Cytowic is an American neurologist and author "synesthesia guru"

David Eagleman --> Neuroscientist and CEO + co founder of Neosensory --> sensory substitution

Berit Brogaard --> Neuroscientist --> philosophy of mind and philosophy of language

Philosophy --> David Howes (Anthropology of the Senses) --> studies how different cultures perceive, prioritize, and structure sensory experience --> connection to more ordinary daily life storytelling

Philosophy --> Merleau-Ponty positions synesthesia not as an extraordinary individual gift/ skill/ experience but as a primary/ primitive human condition --> “the senses intercommunicate by opening on to the structure of the thing”, so that “synesthetic perception is the rule.” --> I think this is interesting --> interviewing both people with and without synesthesia

Cretien van Campen (NL) --> author, editor and scientific researcher in social science and fine arts --> founder of Synesthetics Netherlands

Relevance in Design Context

Barnabé Fillion – Arpa (Studios) --> multisensory fragrance brand and research project

denkwerk GmbH – Beautiful Minds --> interactive website --> explaining synesthesia & visitors able to (digitally) experience synesthesia
https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/beautiful-minds/230076

Semiotica – Synesthetic Design Agency --> a creative agency specializing in experiential, virtual & video production for content and marketing solutions --> focuses on crafting synesthetic artworks for live experiences and film --> real-time audio/visual techniques, virtual production, and projection mapping --> multisensory environments
http://semiotica.agency

Nina Czegledy --> exhibition Sensoria --> The Art and Science of Our Senses

Oliver Sacks (Musicophilia) Tales Of Music And The Brain --> collected case studies on perception, synesthesia, and the arts

Kandinsky --> "The Sound Of Color"

SYNESTHETIC DESIGN

I, as an artist/ designer, want to explore the concept of storytelling in the setting of everyday life, how it has been a part of us throughout time, how it evolved within contemporary life and how it can hopefully create more connection in the future.

I want to research if storytelling (can) bring(s) us closer togheter as a society, like it used to do in the old days.

In what ways can storytelling, situated within the context of everyday life, function as a tool for building social connection in contemporary society?

How can storytelling, embedded in everyday life, be explored through design research methods such as interviewing, talking, analysing, prototyping, interacting, reflecting, and documenting, to understand its potential to build social connection in contemporary society?

and how can this be contextualised through historical comparison?
(when it served as teaching?)

How can I, as an artist/ designer research the format of the music video function as a storytelling tool in translating music into moving images, and how can this be explored through artistic and design research methods to deepen our understanding of its communicative and emotional potential?

GROUP storytelling daily life & storytelling through music

The music video --> a space for storytelling, experimentation, interaction, and reflection. If we consider the music video as a prototype for narrative communication, we can explore how visual storytelling embedded in everyday themes might invite emotional connection, recognition, and dialogue.

How can the music video, as a designed and performative storytelling format, be used within design research to explore and prototype everyday narratives that build social connection? --> process of making, reflecting, and contextualising inform our understanding of storytelling’s evolving role in society?

explore through -->

Prototyping: developing visual-narrative concepts in video form

Interviewing: collecting stories or reactions from viewers or subjects

Documenting: capturing the process and feedback

(Interacting: creating participatory or co-creative music video processes)

Making public: releasing the video as part of the research --> see how it is received

Relevance in Social Context --> How the medium is used to communicate ideas and emotions --> focuses on how music videos affect audiences, communicate social issues, and leads to emotional connections in a global, cultural space.

Cultural Representation and Identity --> storytelling through music video clips gives voice to underrepresented or communities (young emo teenagers for example), or how they serve as a platform for cultural expression and social change

Emotional Connection and Shared Experience --> the shared social experiences of music (swifties for example) --> a sense of community and collective memory --> connection within society

Globalization and Accessibility --> helping individuals from different backgrounds connect with shared experiences or messages --> cultural barriers

Music Video as Social Commentary --> Music videos have historically been used as a medium for social commentary --> Childish Gambino – This Is America (2018) or Nirvana – In Bloom (1992)

Relevance in Design Context --> Research into music video clips focuses on how design thinking, narrative structure, and visual communication can be applied to the medium of the music video --> exploring new ways to communicate through design

Visual Storytelling and Aesthetic Design --> blend art & design --> cinematography, graphic design, animation, and performance vs. composition, color theory, and motion.

Multisensory Design --> combination sound, (moving)images/ visuals and movement --> communicate. This can include the timing of visuals to match the rhythm, use of abstract visuals to match the tone, or even narrative disruption to match dissonance in the song --> connection to synesthesia

User Experience --> music video clips on apps like TikTok, a TikTok trend can make it interactive (dancetok)

Prototyping and Experimentation --> Music videos can be perfect testing "tools" for prototyping new ways of telling stories trough motion, animation, or (non-linear) narratives. As a designer, exploring new storytelling formats in music video creation can lead to innovations --> because a music video clip is a short/ quick form of entertainment, I see options within the world of advertisement/ commercials as well.

How can synesthetic perception be used to create more inclusive, emotionally resonant, or culturally meaningful experiences?

How synesthetic perception help designers create more inclusive, emotionally engaging, and culturally meaningful experiences in both digital and physical spaces?

How can I, as an artist/ designer, use (ideas from) synesthetic perception to create more inclusive, emotionally engaging, and culturally meaningful experiences in both digital and physical spaces?

How can I, as an artist/ designer, use synesthesic perception to create multi sensory experiences?

Reformulate

How can the principles of synesthesia be used in the design of music videos to translate musical storytelling into multi-sensory visual experiences?

--> Music videos are already multisensory --> combining sound and image to translate story/ narrative. However, many music videos rely primarily on visual rhythm or literal storytelling rather than deeply translating the emotional texture of sound into visual form. Synesthesia --> hearing colors, seeing sounds, offers a powerful framework for reimagining this process.

By making use of the synesthetic principles, artists/ designers can create visuals that feel like the music --> shaping color, motion, texture, and form in ways that mirror the tone, rhythm, and emotional resonance of sound. This approach can make music videos more immersive.

The need for this combination lies in the growing desire for more emotionally embodied and sensory "rich" storytelling --> digital media. It opens up new creative languages for translating sound into visuals.