Synesthesia is a sensory symphony in your brain, with different senses mingling and interacting in unexpected ways.
For some, this means biting into a juicy apple and seeing a burst of red. For others, it means hearing music and feeling its texture.The condition is rare, affecting less than five per cent of the population. However, if you head to Double Vision at Brisbane Powerhouse later this month, you can get a taste of what it feels like.
The head chef of this sensorial smorgasbord is scientist, electronic musician, and artist Max Cooper. This is his first and only show in Brisbane.
So whether you're new to his immersive, creative experiences or a long-time fan, Double Vision is an event you won't want to miss.
With a PhD in computational biology and a deep interest in the psychology and philosophy of language, Cooper has sculpted a unique career as an audio-visual artist who translates mathematics, technology, science, and human emotion into a feast for the senses that bypasses rational thought.
Speaking to Pure Audio Recordings, Max described this sensory smorgasbord as "a means of communicating a lot that I can't communicate with music only".
His most recent album, 2022's 'Unspoken Words', translates Cooper's interest in science and the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein into an audiovisual format that was driven, in part, by machine learning.
As Max explains: "I was dealing with the idea of unspoken words, which focusses on what I can communicate with music and visual art, but not with words.
"As Wittgenstein says, our language is not sufficient in order to describe the world around us, but rather leads to a lot of misunderstandings and arguments.
"We took texts by Wittgenstein and then fed [them] into the machine learning system built by Xander Steenbrugge. . . The result is a really abstract sequence of moving images from this text about the difficulties of language."
So what does all this look like at a live show? In an interview with String and Tins, Max explains: "The way we work is with a 3D model of the space. Essentially, each piece of music becomes a physical three-dimensional entity."
As they're crafting the shows, they develop the music as though it's a living being occupying the space. From here, other creatives add their own dimensions to this growing creature.
As an audience member, you're just as much a part of the creative play as the artists are. Speaking to Deep House Amsterdam, Max explained just how much impact the audience has on every show.
"I like to leave things open, so I can react to all those things, try to interact with people and share with them since that's when the best sets happen – [when] I'm in the same state of mind as the people on the dance floor and we're both understanding the music together."
Max will be joined at Double Vision (1 September) by Australian artist The Kite String Tangle aka Danny Harley.
With multiple awards under his belt, including two ARIA Awards, the talented multi-instrumentalist will be delivering a mix of familiar favourites and new material, whipped into a multidimensional frenzy by his audiovisual collaborators.
Fresh from a period of writing a new song every day in a studio he built from scratch, Danny is the perfect complement to Max's synaesthetic wonderland. Working back-to-back across two nights, they plan to give you a new way of understanding the data that bombards you every day.
As Max said to Visual Atelier 8: "Existing inside a human mind is a difficult thing for all of us I think.
"We're full of ancient evolved drives and systems, living in a barrage of human perfection, misinformation and manipulation attempts from all sides trying to control our beliefs and behaviours.
"We don't stand much of a chance against the constructs we live in, but luckily we can find ways to tackle the difficulties. For me that means music."
The Double Vision twin bill features Max Cooper (31 August) and The Kite String Tangle (1 September) at Brisbane Powerhouse. Max Cooper also joins Autechre, Actress and Giant Swan as part of Now Or Never programme at Carlton Gardens (Melbourne) on 25 August.
