The whole is “other” than the sum of its parts

An investigation of synesthesia and perception through a patchwork

Åsa Sjödin

Konstfack

Craft! Textile Department

Master 2

Spring 2020

Tutors: Bella Rune, Andrea Peach, Birgitta Burling, Anders Ljungberg

Word count: 6 607

ABSTRACT

Some people experience music as colourful patterns or feel it as a physical touch, they have

synesthesia. A neurological condition in which a stimulus of one sense automatically and

involuntarily triggers a sensation in another sense. This shows that perception is not normative.

The aim of this work is to try to develop an understanding of this phenomenon by using textile

dyeing and patchwork as a tool for my investigation of it. Another aim is to raise awareness and

try to see if it is possible for a non synesthete to experience something similar to the complex

intersensory connections as those with synesthesia have. The sum of all perceptions of a human,

after it has been processed by their own mind, can result in something that is not just the sum

of each individual perception, but something that can at the end be quite different from what

might be expected. This motivated the title, and furthermore leads naturally into the Gestalt

theory of perception, which is used as the major theoretical framework for this paper.

Keywords: craft, patchwork, textile dyeing, perception, synesthesia, Gestalt theory

Contents 1. Introduction and background ............................................................................................................. 5

1.1 Research question ........................................................................................................................ 6

1.2 My inspiration and intention ........................................................................................................ 6

1.3 Overview of the paper .................................................................................................................. 8

2. Theory and context ............................................................................................................................ 8

2.1 Synesthesia ................................................................................................................................... 8

2.1.1 Synesthesia and art ............................................................................................................... 9

2.2 Gestalt theory ............................................................................................................................. 10

2.3 Brief context of patchworks and quilts ....................................................................................... 11

2.4 Artistic references ...................................................................................................................... 12

3. Methods ........................................................................................................................................... 15

3.1 Establishing rules… ..................................................................................................................... 15

3.2 … and breaking rules .................................................................................................................. 16

3.3 Playing with colours.................................................................................................................... 16

3.4 Principles of Gestalt .................................................................................................................... 16

3.5 Grounded in science ................................................................................................................... 17

4. Discussion ......................................................................................................................................... 18

4.1 Project Liberation ....................................................................................................................... 18

4.2 Who rules who? ......................................................................................................................... 18

4.3 It’s all about the grid .................................................................................................................. 20

4.4 Combining the separate ............................................................................................................. 21

4.5 Presentation ............................................................................................................................... 24

5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 24

Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................... 25

Webbsites ........................................................................................................................................ 25

Exhibition ......................................................................................................................................... 26

Image References ............................................................................................................................. 26

Appendices .............................................................................................................................................. i

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1. Introduction and background I might be naive but have always assumed that what I see is what everybody else sees and that

there is only one way to perceive the world with our senses – my way. Of course, with the

exception for those who may be blind, colour-blind, deaf or have a defected sense somehow.

However, I recently became aware of that this is not the case. It turned out that my oldest

daughter has a neurological condition called synesthesia which allows her to experience several

senses at once. In her case she sees music as colours, the alphabet in different hues of red and

each number as a specific colour. I find it very fascinating that for almost 15 years we have

been sharing many experiences but perceived them in different ways. “What synesthesia shows

is that not everyone sees the world as you do”, is a quote from the book Synesthesia by the

American neurologist Richard E. Cytowic which I was very surprised to learn.1 This is

something I want to know more about, not only how my daughter perceives things, but how

differently we all perceive things especially regarding synesthesia. Perception is not normative!

It has been said: The whole is more than the sum of its parts. It is more correct to say that the whole is

something else than the sum of its parts, because summing up is a meaningless procedure, whereas the

whole-part relationship is meaningful.2

These are the words of Kurt Koffka, who alongside with Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang

Köhler in the early 20th century founded Gestalt theory. At that time the dominant theory was

the structuralism who looked at perception “from below up” and claimed that you could

understand complex perceptions by breaking them into atomic parts of experience.3 In contrast

to the structuralism, Gestalt theory mean that perception is a process “from above downward”,

from the whole to the parts, where we perceive entire patterns or configurations rather than

individual elements.

Since there are more than 80 known types of different synesthetic variations, I limit my

discussion to the ones that involve colours since that is my primary interest and can be related

to my textile dyeing.

1 Richard E. Cytowic, Synesthesia, 2018, p. 29. 2 Kurt Koffka, Principles Of Gestalt Psychology, 1935, p. 176. 3 D. Brett King, & Michael Wertheimer, Max Wertheimer and Gestalt theory, Transaction Publisher, New Brunswick, NJ, 2004, p. 154.

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1.1 Research question In my paper I will discuss the phenomenon of synesthesia. Can I fully understand what it is like

to have this condition and can I incorporate and work with it in an artistic way in the field of

textile craft in order to raise awareness of it? Hence my research question is:

How can I, as a non synesthete, understand and work with the phenomenon of synesthesia

through textile craft?

1.2 My inspiration and intention I find patterns intriguing. Geometrical patterns, kaleidoscopic patterns, naturally occurring

patterns explained by the Fibonacci sequence and fractals. Symmetry in patterns is also

important to me, it creates a sense of balance and peace, an example is Islamic patterns. Maybe

that is why I am so fascinated by stained glass windows, particularly rose windows that are

often found in gothic cathedrals. When in Paris, I always visit the Notre Dame cathedral and

every time I feel mesmerized looking at all the windows with stained glass. The pattern

symmetries, the colours and the light create something extraordinary. A contemporary abstract

window from 2007 by the German artist Gerhard Richter can be found in the Cologne Cathedral

and it consists of approximately 11 500 squares of glass in 72 different colours.4 I appreciate

the strict square shapes of the glass, like digital pixels, being framed by the more organic

masonry.

Image 1, Notre Dame, Photo: Åsa Sjödin Image 2, Gerhard Richter, Cologne Cathedral

4 Gerhard Richter, www.gerhard-richter.com

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Colours are something that I always incorporate in my work. When visiting the exhibition

Breathing Colour by Hella Jongerius at Nationalmusem in Stockholm, it became apparent to

me how important the light, shape and structure is for our perception of colours. Jongerius

argues that we often perceive colours as unchangeable and rarely think about how complex they

are.5 Nowadays when choosing a colour it is according to a name or a code from a chart, while

back in time colours were made up of pigments mixed in endless combinations. Jongerius mean

that the processes of the industrialisation have reduced our perceptions of colour.

Image 3, Hella Jongerius, Breathing Colour Image 4, Hella Jongerius, Breathing Colour Image 5, Hella Jongerius, Breathing Colour Photo: Åsa Sjödin Photo: Åsa Sjödin Photo: Åsa Sjödin

As the images from the exhibition Breathing Colour shows, you can clearly see how the colour

shifts depending on the quality of light and the shadows.

I work with textiles, dyeing and patchwork to be more specific. My intention is to make a

patchwork with an abstract pattern that lets everyone form their own perception and inner

meaning of the piece. Like a rose window of a gothic cathedral that you look in to, not through,

I want to make a patchwork that has the same sensation. The windows have narrative qualities,

but it is hard to really make out what stories the images tell. They are somehow hidden by the

distance to the viewer. For me it is the interplay between shape, size, light and colour that is

interesting. A patchwork is made up of many small pieces of fabric. Joining the small pieces

into a great new whole evokes many questions about how the finished whole will be perceived.

What my story is, is not important here, rather to illuminate the diversity of perceptions. Since

5 Hella Jongerius, Breathing Colour, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

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synesthesia is a condition not visible to others it can be stigmatized to talk about and met by

disbelief. My hope is that this will make people more aware of it.

1.3 Overview of the paper In the second chapter I will look upon theory and context as well as other artistic references that

has been of importance to my work. Theories that will be addressed are synesthesia and Gestalt

theory. In the third chapter I will discuss my methods for this project. The fourth chapter

contains my discussion followed by a conclusion in chapter five. Then there is a bibliography

and a list of image references. Finally, the paper ends with an appendix.

2. Theory and context In this chapter a review of the subjects synesthesia and Gestalt theory will be addressed. These

are the main theories I will support my work upon. Then a brief look at patchwork and quilts

will be done in order to contextualise myself. I will also look at other artists that has been of

significance for me.

2.1 Synesthesia The word synesthesia derives from the words syn (meaning together) and esthesia (meaning

perceive), in other words perceive together.6 So, what is it? Well it is not a disease nor a

disability. By researchers it is often called a “condition” in lack of a more appropriate word.7 It

is a neurological phenomenon in which a stimulus of one sense automatically and involuntarily

triggers a sensation in another sense.8 This is how people with synesthesia, for example, can

hear music and at the same time sense the sound as a pattern or swirls of colours, this type is

called chromesthesia. Since any combination of the senses is possible in synesthesia, over 80

different variations has been reported and it can be triggered by things not only strictly sensory,

like numbers, letters and names.9 According to the Synesthesia research group at the University

of Sussex it is hard to say how many people of the general population that have this condition.

Different studies have been conducted with different outcomes. In one study 4,4% of the

participants were synesthetes, however not all forms were identified in this particular study and

the number would likely be higher if other forms of synesthesia had been considered.10. Recent

6 Campen, Cretien van, The hidden sense: synesthesia in art and science, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 2008, p. 1. 7 Synaesthesia Toolkit MULTISENSE, www.syntoolkit.org 8 Campen, 2008, p. 1. 9 Synaesthesia Toolkit MULTISENSE, www.syntoolkit.org 10 University of Sussex, www.sussex.ac.uk/synaesthesia

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studies show that about 20% of the population experience days, months, alphabet and numbers

in a spatial form and the most common form including one of our traditional senses is the one

where you experience days and months in colours. Another type of synesthesia is grapheme-

colour where numbers and letters generate specific colours and sometimes even colourful

patterns. It is believed that we are all born with synesthetic abilities which are cut back during

our first years of life, only those intersensory connections that are useful for the child will

survive.11 The Dutch author and researcher Cretien van Campen calls synesthesia “the hidden

sense” in his book with that same title, maybe that is what it really should be referred as. Van

Campen also argues that many people could learn to be aware of their synesthetic potential.

The brain is flexible and has the ability to develop meaningful multisensory connections, though

it requires an active search for it.

To sum it up I will once again quote Richard E. Cytowic. “A synesthete, as we call these

otherwise-normal individuals, might not only hear my voice but also see it, taste it, or feel it as

a physical touch.”.12

2.1.1 Synesthesia and art

It seems like creativity and synesthesia are closely related, especially for those who visualize

music. It is suggested that the motivation to create art comes from the beauty of the experiences,

not that synesthesia is equal to artistic talent.13 In the article Synesthesia and the artistic process

Carol Steen and Greta Berman writes about synesthetic artwork and why it, to the observer,

looks abstract even though it is the reality of the artists perception.14 It seems like the visions

synesthetes experience, by scientists called photisms, typically are of an abstract character

rather than realistic and concrete. There can also be an element of movement in the photisms.

Shapes can for example rotate, morph, radiate, kaleidoscope, spiral and reduplicate and at the

same time magnify, permutate, repeat, dart quickly and change colours.15 And as quickly as the

shapes can appear, they can disappear and be replaced by others. This movement is a reason

why layering is common in synesthetic paintings. Another significance for synesthetic art is the

use of colours which are fresh and can be extraordinarily bright, like “sunlight streaming

through a stained glass window”.16 Unexpected colours and combinations of colours are also

11 Campen, 2008, p. 160. 12 Cytowic, 2018, p. 2. 13 Steen, Carol & Berman, Greta, ”Synesthesia and the Artistic Process” in Simner, Julie & Hubbard, Edward M. (red.), Oxford handbook of synesthesia, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013, p. 673. 14 Steen & Berman, 2013, p. 678. 15 Steen & Berman, 2013, p. 677. 16 Steen & Berman, 2013, p. 680.

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commonly seen. Scientists mean that synesthesia could be a creative tool to explore the human

consciousness because “synesthesia shows new gestalts in the stream of consciousness”.17 Van

Campen describes a way to demonstrate how this could be done by looking at an abstract

painting for the first time. You look at it without any forgone conclusions of what you are about

to see, and you will start to form your own meaning of the piece. This is an automatic act of

perception and a basis for our imagination, van Campen refers to it as “taking a second look”

or “looking at things from a different angle”.

Artists like Wassily Kandinsky and Joan Mitchell were synaesthetes and it is believed that

Vincent van Gogh and August Strindberg also were, however not verified.18

2.2 Gestalt theory I choose the Gestalt theory as a theoretical framework for my work because its ideas are very

relevant and influential according to Cretien van Campen, for contemporary researchers of

synesthesia.19 The reason for this is because synaesthetes tend to visually recognise patterns

more quickly and easily than non-synesthetes.20 The Gestalt theory will also be influential to

my method, but I will get back to that later. Let us first look at the theory.

In the book The hidden sense: synesthesia in art and science, van Campen talks about the nature

of human perception and how we, in order to understand our world, seek out patterns in our

environment.21 In the complex visual world, our mind tries to find the simplest solution to a

problem by grouping items that share some common characteristics. The patterns we perceive

and base our understanding on are a result of our ability to choose the “right” details. We are

exposed to, or presented with, a great amount of sensory impressions and it would be

overwhelming if we did not have a way to select the essentials. A group of psychologists

“recognizing that perception is driven by this need to find order” (in other words, a human

perceiver is an active pattern-seeking person) in contrast to the belief that the human perceiver

was a passive organ compared with a camera in the sense of registering rays of light. Max

Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Köhler formed in the early 1900s the theory known as

Gestalt. The word Gestalt is German and can be translated into English as shape, form,

configuration or whole.22

17 Campen, 2008, p. 87. 18 Steen & Berman, 2013, p. 690. 19 Campen, 2008, p. 76. 20 Campen, 2008, p. 78. 21 Campen, 2008, p. 76. 22 Hann M. A. & Moxon, I. S., Patterns: design and composition, Routledge, New York, 2019, p. 66.

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…human perceivers are searchers for meaning and actively reorganize their impressions until they discover

meaningful figures or objects. In fact, human perception is a creative faculty that tries to understand the

person’s environment by ordering and reordering, looking for meaningful gestalts. This is quite an

automatic act, only partly influenced by the human will.23

So, instead of recognising collections of disconnected shapes, points and lines our brains

operate holistically, and we perceive separate parts as well-organized wholes.24 And this is what

the principles of Gestalt helps us to understand. The principles, sometimes referred to as laws,

will be further discussed in the next chapter that deals with methods.

2.3 Brief context of patchworks and quilts The action of taking small pieces of fabric and stich them together, making them into something

functional, like quilts, pillows and bags but also ceremonial object, is an old tradition in many

cultures around the world.25 In Sweden the patchwork technique became more common during

the 17th century.26 However, it was not until the years of the big emigration in the 1880-90 that

the patchwork had a major breakthrough within the general population due to the returning

swedes who had learnt the technique in America.27 Patterns found in American quilts could

therefore be found here as well but with Swedish names, such as stockhus (log cabin) and

väderkvarnsvingar (wind mill). Originally patchwork quilts were functional objects, for

example to keep warm during the night, but it was also a way to communicate. They have been

used to tell stories of different kinds, for example memory quilts which purpose is to remember

or celebrate family history. A grand example is the NAMES AIDS Memorial Quilt in which

each panel represent a person who died from the disease.28 The first panel was made in 1987, it

is an ongoing project and the quilt is still growing, now including about 49 000 panels. It is also

said, however controversial, that quilts were a way to communicate hidden messages and coded

maps of the underground railroad in the US during the 1800s in order to guide the slaves to

freedom.29 I would like to think that this is true, that a seemingly innocent quilt made preferably

by women, could have had an important role in history. In the article Quilts for the Twenty-

First Century: Activism in the Expanded Field of Quilting Kirsty Robertson analyse and look

upon the work of different contemporary artists that use the process of quilting, such as

stitching, patching and applique in order to create wholes, often with the intention of activism

23 Campen, 2008, p. 87. 24 Hann & Moxon, 2019, p. 66. 25 Åsa Wettre, Gamla svenska lapptäcken, Tiden, Stockholm, 1993, p. 9. 26 Wettre, 1993, p. 10. 27 Wettre, 1993, p. 11. 28 Robertson, Kirsty, Quilts for the Twenty-First Century: Activism in the Expanded Field of Quilting, 2014, p. 8. 29 Robertson, 2014, p. 5.

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or being political.30 She means that the patching and piecing is a way to gather information, “an

act of investigation”.

If crazy quilt for the twenty-first century is a deconstructed entity, a twenty-first century patchwork quilt

might be the opposite – an aggregate of elements built up into a recognizable whole. There is patchwork

here, but it is a working together of information and a search for answers rather than a suturing together of

cloth.31

I have no intention to make a functional object, rather to use the patchwork technique as a tool

for my investigation, as Robertson describes in the quote above the modern application of the

traditional craft.

Image 6, NAMES Aids Memorial Quilt

2.4 Artistic references To contextualise my work, I begin to look upon other artists that has been of importance for the

development of my project. The thing they all have in common is the abstract expression of

their work.

30 Robertson, 2014, pp. 1-2. 31 Robertson, 2014, p. 15.

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The artist Fahrelnissa Zeid (1901-1991) and her abstract paintings with kaleidoscopic patterns

is a great inspiration to me. In Tate Modern’s catalogue for the retrospective exhibition

Fahrelnissa Zeid, which opened in London 2017, the following can be read:

The influences of nature, patterns from Islamic architecture, Byzantine mosaics and the formal qualities of

stained-glass windows with their heavy leaded lines and iridescent coloured panels can all be discerned.

Seen from a distance, these elements appear to spin, collide, fragment, repeat and ripple out from numerous

centres in ways that are absorbing and mystifying.32

I think it is the perfect description of her work and it captures the very essence of what fascinates

me.

Image 7, Fahrelnissa Zeid, My Hell, 1951

I can only imagine what it would feel like to stand in front of such a painting. I can’t wait for

an opportunity to see Zeid’s art in real life. For my current work it is the large pieces that I find

intriguing and my inspiration for going big. I think the size in my case can add an extra

dimension to the experience of it.

I also find the American artist Melissa McCracken (1990) interesting; she has synesthesia and

visualizes what she sees when listening to music. I think of her art as a window to synesthesia

which let me experience and get a better understanding of the condition. There is something

32 Greenberg, Kerryn (ed.), “The Evolution of an Artist” in Fahrelnissa Zeid, Tate Publishing, London, 2017 p. 22.

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mysterious about her paintings, and it makes me even more curious about the phenomenon. I

feel that I can support my work against hers as it is grounded in the reality of her synesthesia.

Image 8, Melissa McCracken, Time, 2016 Image 9, Melissa McCracken, Imagine

McCracken says about her work, “I believe that we too often view the world through a singular

and narrow lens, only allowing our habitual and empirical experiences to inform our

perspective”.33 And her hopes is to, through her paintings, widen this lens and transcend

traditional interpretations of experience.

Carol Steen (1943) is a painter and sculptor and her work is based on her synesthetic

experiences. Just like McCracken, Steen invites you to have a glimpse of the phenomenon.

Steen is also a writer, and co-founder of the American Synesthesia Association. I find it

interesting that her work is that she not only paints her experiences but deals with them in the

format of sculptures.

Image 10, Carol Steen, Cyto, 1995 Image 11, Carol Steen, Full View Image 12, Carol Steen, Zigzag, 1995

I have learnt a lot from her writings about synesthesia, foremost in connection to art.

33 Melissa McCracken, www.melissasmccracken.com

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The Canadian fine arts photographer Seb Duke (1983), creates “colourful bubbly microcosms”.

He uses liquids to create bubbles which he then takes photos of. What I find interesting in his

work, apart from the colourful artwork, is his way of expressing himself in text, even if it is

only in rather short posts on Instagram. Like this one concerning the experience of abstract art.

In order to appreciate abstract art, you need to free your mind of the concepts of form, flow and design as

you know them. Your rational brain will not help you “get it” – you sort of have to let go and take it all in.

You have to allow yourself to become a passenger and travel through the piece, within yourself. “Getting”

the meaning of a piece may bring a temporary feeling of satisfaction or victory… but allowing yourself to

float in its mystery will have a much more enduring effect! What if abstract art was not intended to be

solved, but experienced? 34

Image 13, Seb Duke, Per Aspera

3. Methods My crafting methods are primarily textile dyeing and patchwork. However, there are further

methods of fundamental importance for my project, which I will discuss now.

3.1 Establishing rules… Fluxus was a community of interdisciplinary artists during the 1960s and 1970s with a do-it-

yourself attitude and performative actions.35 A short definition what Fluxus is and is not comes

from the manifesto published by Dick Higgins. “Fluxus is not: - a moment in history, or - an

art movement. Fluxus is: - a way of doing things, - a tradition, and - a way of life and death.”36

The artistic process was emphasized over the finished product and the idea of working without

a conception of the result was important. The work was an interaction between the artist and

the audience. Yoko Ono has been associated with Fluxus and has published two books with

34 Seb Duke, www.instagram.com/thebiginthesmall/ 35 Ken Friedman & Jacquelynn Baas, Fluxus and the essential questions of life, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 2011, p. 36. 36 Friedman, 2011, p. 36.

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instructions and drawings, Grapefruit and Acorn. With these books she demonstrates that works

of art can be reduced to a set of rules that anyone can execute.

Establishing rules has been an important method regarding my work in order to make the

decisions smoother, primarily concerning the process of dyeing, which I will come back to. It

might sound strange that rules in an artistic practise can be liberating. For me they work as a

pillar, something I can rely on, at the same time they are my scapegoat. And it doesn’t matter

that I am the one formulating them.

3.2 … and breaking rules As well as establishing and following my own rules, I also break rules. While learning to dye

textiles you are taught to be very accurate, from having the precise weight of the fabric, the

right amount of water to the exact measurements of pigment and other chemicals. In 2016 I did

a field study with the Norwegian textile artist Inger Johanne Rasmussen for two weeks. I had

already begun to be more experimental with my dyeing and she gave me the courage to continue

this path and not be afraid to break the conventional rules. This has been very important for my

artistic development. There is a quote attributed to Pablo Picasso that seems appropriate to end

this section with. “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist”.

3.3 Playing with colours I tend to think too much about what colours to use when dyeing my fabrics, which often leads

to indecisiveness and me being stuck in the process. To prevent myself from overthinking I

have set up some guidelines for the dyeing process. The first one is to decide beforehand how

many colours I will use for the specific piece, then I just pick the number of colours at random

without looking. The second one is to just pick colours until I am satisfied, and a third version

is to decide beforehand some colours I will use and then add some more by chance.

3.4 Principles of Gestalt In order to apply the Gestalt theory practically, several universally valid principles, sometimes

referred to as laws, were formulated. The principles of Gestalt are prägnanz, proximity, closure,

figure-ground, similarity, common fate, good continuation and symmetry.37 Prägnanz is the

fundamental principle, meaning good gestalt or good figure, and the very essence of Gestalt.38

It refers to the fact that humans like to find the simplest, best and most stable interpretation to

an ambiguous or complex visual image. Certain obvious shapes, like squares, circles and

37 See the Appendix 1 for explanatory pictures. 38 Hann & Moxon, 2019, p. 69.

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triangles hold a strong visual statement and are preferred to stranger shapes. Proximity occurs

when elements that are close to each other are perceived to be more related than elements that

are spaced farther apart.39 Closure is the idea that, when looking at an element that is incomplete

or a space that is not fully enclosed, the viewer tends to first look for a recognizable pattern and

subconsciously fill in the information that is missing. Figure-ground relationship is when two

areas share a common boundary”.40 The figure is the distinct element of focus and the ground

makes up for the rest, forming the background on which the figure rest. When the figure and

ground changes positions from time to time, the relationship between them is multistable.

Examples of this are Rubin’s vase and the Necker cube. Similarity is the notion that we group

objects with similar characteristics together. These characteristics can be colour, shape, size,

texture and so on. We can perceive them as a group or a pattern. The principle of common fate,

states that humans tend to perceive elements moving in the same direction as a unit being more

related than elements that are stationary or that moves in different directions. Good continuation

means that objects arranged on a curve or a line are inclined to be perceived as a unit and as

more related than objects that are not on the curve or line. In the principle of symmetry elements

are perceived as being more related if they share uniform visual characteristics.41 Bi-lateral

symmetry is particularly preferred which means that two components mirror the image of the

other, think of a butterfly and how the wings are reflecting each other.

I relate my work to the principles of Gestalt theory. These will be helpful in my decision making

regarding the design of the patchwork.

3.5 Grounded in science Artists with synesthesia like Melissa McCracken and Carol Steen can paint from their own

experiences. As a non-synesthete I approach this from another point of view. I create in order

to discuss and try to understand the phenomenon. So, another method is to relate my practical

work to synesthesia and ground it in the science connected to the it. In addition, I have the

possibility for a discussion with the only synesthete I know, my daughter. As all synesthetic

experiences are individual there is no key to how my work should be finalized.

39 King & Wertheimer, 2004, p. 155. 40 Foley, Hugh & Matlin, Margaret, Sensation and Perception, Taylor & Francis Group, 2009, p. 121. 41 Hann & Moxon, 2019, p. 69.

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4. Discussion The first thing I will discuss is more of a starting point for my interest in patchwork, not directly

connected to my master project. However, of importance to include here.

4.1 Project Liberation When dyeing pieces of fabric with no real purpose for the fabric itself, I felt a bit stuck in my

artistic development. My dyed textiles have been precious to me but also a curse in the sense

that I could not seem to continue working with them. I feel hesitant and reluctant when I am

about to cut into a fabric. It doesn’t really matter if it is a fine expensive fabric, a beautiful

patterned one, a piece that I have dyed myself or even an inexpensive one. It always makes me

feel uneasy. I don’t know why. Is it a fear of destroying, fear of breaking a pattern, fear of

failing? Possible explanations could be that it is irreversible and can´t be undone or that I have

so much respect for the material. I needed to do something to free myself from that uneasy

feeling and decided that I would cut some dyed fabric up in pieces and sew it back together

again, in a random way. I commenced with a project, called Project Liberation. The foundation

of the project was the rules and framework that I set up for myself before starting. The goal was

not to make anything beautiful, but rather to liberate myself from restrictions I tend to limit

myself with. This was in a way a starting point for my interest in patchwork.

Image 14, Åsa Sjödin Image 15, Åsa Sjödin Image 16, Åsa Sjödin

The images show different stages of my process with Project Liberation

Looking back at the result of this project I can see that I still did some conscious decisions in

the joining of the patches. All the seams are made on the same side of the fabric, so there is a

front and a backside of the piece, which was not my intention but happened anyway. Most

importantly it made me want to continue working with my dyed textiles.

4.2 Who rules who? Breaking the conventional rules of dyeing and setting up my own has been very influential and

important to me. It has developed my process and I have taken control over it. Like the Fluxus

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community during the 1960s and 1970s I established rules for my work and emphasized the

process over the finished product. The idea of working without a conception of the result has

been very important to me. Not that I consider my work as Fluxus, but I do see resemblance in

the making of the rules and focus on the process

By taking control over my dyeing, my process is much smoother, less time-consuming and less

frustrating. I believe that it is in the unexpected the most interesting results can be found. For

my master project I have been a lot less strict in my process of dyeing. Previously I preferred

to fold my fabric very accurate so the dye would create geometric patterns. Now, I am looking

for a freer and a flowing expression, like the effect of watercolour. The reason for this is that

the strict form of my patchwork comes from the structure of the design and not from the dyed

fabric.

Image 17, Åsa Sjödin Image 18, Åsa Sjödin

In the process of dying the fabric I find the uncontrollable and haphazard interesting. Trying to

control the dyeing process is hard and there is always an element of surprise that I find

rewarding.

20

In the exhibition Breathing Colour Hella Jongerius addresses that back in time colours were

created by mixing pigments in endless combinations.42 My jars of pigment that I use are already

mixed to specific colours. But you can often see in the dyeing process how the different

pigments differentiate from each other and sometimes leave marks on the fabric. These marks

used to annoy me in the beginning of my dyeing adventure. Now I think that the odd spots of

colours add something extra to the fabric, a feeling of imperfection and of human presence,

rather than perfection and automation.

As Steen and Berman writes about synesthetic art and that the use of bright and fresh colours

is significant as well as unexpected colour combinations.43 This has led me to deliberately work

with strong colours and not to think too much about if the colours I use in the dyeing process

goes well together.

4.3 It’s all about the grid It was working with Project Liberation that led me into the craft of patchwork, which I had

very little experience of beforehand (I made a quilted pillow 25 years ago but that hardly

counts). After experimenting with different techniques, I found a patchwork called cathedral

window and I knew that was the technique I wanted to use for my project. Looking at the

cathedral window and how it is constructed it always consists of a regular pattern with a square

grid structure. It can be described as a three-layered construction where there is a foundation, a

framework and panes. There are several ways to construct the pieces, but it is always based on

a gridwork. However, I wanted to use more complicated patterns that not only consisted of

squares, so I began experimenting with different shapes and different scales.

Image 19, Åsa Sjödin Image 20, Åsa Sjödin Image 21, Åsa Sjödin

42 Jongerius 43 Steen & Berman, 2013, p. 680.

21

After doing some more

research into the technique I

came across the work of an

American textile artist named

Shelley Swanland who has

taken the technique further in

the direction I was interested

in. So, inspired by Swanland’s

way of constructing patters and

her book Machine-Stitched

Cathedral Stars I began to

experiment with her

technique.44 Even after I had

been doing this for a while I

often found myself puzzled and

confused working with the

construction of the grid. It is a

job that demands full focus.

Image 22, the grid structure of the backside, Åsa Sjödin

4.4 Combining the separate My inspiration for the design was a rose window and according to that I wanted to achieve

circular shapes. I used a pattern from Swanland’s book Machine-Stitched Cathedral Stars as a

starting point for my patchwork.45

It is interesting that in my work of combining separate parts into a new whole I work from

below up which is the structuralism viewpoint of perception.46 In contrast to the Gestalt theory

where you perceive entire patterns or configurations, above down, i.e. from the whole to the

parts. Working with the gestalt theory as a part of my method does not mean that I practice the

44 Shelley Swanland, Machine-Stitched Cathedral Stars, Martingale & Company, Woodinville, WA, 2001. 45 Swanland, 2001. 46 King & Wertheimer, 2004, p. 154.

22

“law” of Gestalt, it is more of a foundation for my decisions, although my work is driven by

intuition and desire.

Image 23, Åsa Sjödin Image 24, Åsa Sjödin Image 25, Åsa Sjödin Image 26, Åsa Sjödin

It was in the process of placing the so-called panes the application of Gestalt was useful. When

creating the circles of the centre I wanted them to stand out from one another, to be connected

but still separate. Even though they are separated they share common expressions and my

intention is that they are to be seen as three different groups according to the principle of

similarity.47 Looking closely at the panes of the lightest circles there is a direction in the

coloured panes, they move out from the centre and according to the principle of common fate

we perceive them as more related. For these circles I have used a folded fabric to create a

mandala when dyed which generated four equal quarters for me to use. However, the circles

together can also be perceived as one group according to the principle of proximity.48 The blue

colour of the ground works as a common denominator and distinguish the circles from the

darker surrounding. When it comes to the principle of figure and ground the blue is to me the

ground and the colourful panes are perceived as the figure.49 There are several places in the

patchwork that has a linear pattern that is broken, for example the yellow cross in the top left

corner. Even if the lines are broken, we can still follow it according to the principle of good

continuation. Symmetry can be found all over the patchwork, however I choose to work with

asymmetry as well in order to create some tension. The top corners of the patchwork differ both

in the colour scheme and how panes as well as the ground is placed. We tend to perceive

incomplete parts as complete according to the principle of closure.50 The frame with the black

squares around the centre are interrupted, however it is still perceived as complete. Prägnanz,

or good figure, means that we like to find the most stable interpretation of a visual statement.51

47 Foley & Matlin, 2009, p. 121. 48 King & Wertheimer, 2004, p. 155. 49 Foley & Matlin, 2009, p. 121. 50 King & Wertheimer, 2004, p. 155. 51 Hann & Moxon, 2019, p. 69.

23

I perceive the circles in the centre as nine overlapping full circles, even though their full figure

is not visible.

Image 27, Åsa Sjödin

From the part constructed by the cathedral windows, vertical panels of dyed fabric will be

attached. This is also inspired by rose windows.

I want the coloured fabric of my patchwork to be emphasized and a reference to the photisms

experienced by many people with synesthesia. By creating an abstract piece, you can without

any preconceptions of it start experience and come up with your own interpretations and

meanings of it. As Seb Duke so eloquently said “you have to allow yourself to become a

passenger and travel through the piece, within yourself”.52

52 Seb Duke, www.instagram.com/thebiginthesmall/

24

4.5 Presentation The patchwork is an approximately 2,2 meters wide and 4,5 meters long wall hanging. My

intention was to paint the wall behind in a dark colour about 0,5 meters lager than the patchwork

to create a framing effect. But the situation due to the corona virus and the school being locked

down this was not possible to achieve.

5. Conclusion In the conclusion of this paper I will first look at my research question, that goes:

How can I, as a non synesthete, understand and work with the phenomenon of synesthesia

through textile craft?

My intention was to make an abstract patchwork as a tool for my investigation of synesthesia

and perception. The abstract pattern will let the viewers form their own meaning of the piece

and with it I want to illuminate the diversity of perceptions and make others aware of

synesthesia. My work is grounded in science regarding synesthesia and related to the principles

of Gestalt theory as well as other artistic references. I find that working with the concept of

synesthesia was both interesting and doable. But to be more trustworthy, maybe you should be

a synesthete yourself. An ambition was to raise awareness of synesthesia and that, I think, is

something my work can do. Since it is a condition not visible to others it can be stigmatized to

talk about and met by disbelief. I hope this will be an eyeopener to others and maybe someone

will be aware of their own synesthesia. Since it is something natural to those who have this trait,

some may not even know they perceive the world in a more complex way than most of us do.

Lastly, I want to reconnect to the title of this paper, the whole is “other” than the sum of its

parts. This, I believe, must be particularly obvious for a person with synesthesia, at least when

looking at it from a non-synesthetic point of view. Maybe not for the synesthetes themselves

whom has always perceived the world with an extra sensation.

25

Bibliography Campen, Cretien van, The hidden sense: synesthesia in art and science, MIT Press,

Cambridge, Mass., 2008

Cytowic, Richard E, Synesthesia [Electronic resource], 2018

Foley, Hugh, & Matlin, Margaret, Sensation and Perception, Taylor & Francis Group, 2009.

ProQuest Ebook Central, Created from Konstfack on 2019-12-27

Friedman, Ken & Baas, Jacquelynn, Fluxus and the essential questions of life, Hood Museum

of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 2011

Greenberg, Kerryn (ed.), “The Evolution of an Artist” in Fahrelnissa Zeid, Tate Publishing,

London, 2017

Hann, M. A. & Moxon, I. S., Patterns: design and composition, Routledge, New York,

2019[2019]

King, D. Brett. & Wertheimer, Michael., Max Wertheimer and Gestalt theory, Transaction

Publisher, New Brunswick, NJ, 2004

Koffka, Kurt, Principles Of Gestalt Psychology, 1935,

http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/7888, (accessed 18 March 2020).

Robertson, Kirsty, Quilts for the Twenty-First Century: Activism in the Expanded Field of

Quilting, https://www.academia.edu/25091763/Quilts_for_the_Twenty-

First_Century_Activism_in_the_Expanded_Field_of_Quilting (accessed 21 January 2020).

Steen, Carol & Berman, Greta, ”Synesthesia and the Artistic Process” in Simner, Julie &

Hubbard, Edward M. (red.), Oxford handbook of synesthesia, Oxford University Press,

Oxford, 2013, pp 671–691.

Swanland, Shelley, Machine-Stitched Cathedral Stars, Martingale & Company, Woodinville,

WA, 2001

Wettre, Åsa, Gamla svenska lapptäcken, Tiden, Stockholm, 1993

Webbsites Duke, Seb, https://www.instagram.com/thebiginthesmall/ (accessed 23 February 2020).

McCracken, Melissa, https://www.melissasmccracken.com/cvstatement (accessed 9 February

2020).

Richter, Gerhard, https://www.gerhard-richter.com/en/art/other/glass-and-mirrors-

105/cologne-cathedral-window-14890 (accessed 21 january 2020).

Synaesthesia Toolkit MULTISENSE research project at the University of Sussex

https://www.syntoolkit.org/faqs (accessed 27 December 2019).

University of Sussex, Synaesthesia research, http://www.sussex.ac.uk/synaesthesia/faq

(accessed 27 December 2019).

26

Exhibition Jongerius, Hella, Breathing Colour at Nationalmuseum Stockholm, (visited 1 December 2019).

Image References Image 1. Åsa Sjödin

Image 2. https://www.gerhard-richter.com/en/art/other/glass-and-mirrors-105/cologne-

cathedral-window-14890/?&referer=search&title=900&keyword=900 2020-02-05 (accessed

5 February 2020).

Image 3. Hella Jongerius, Breathing Colour, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, photo by Åsa

Sjödin 2019-12-01.

Image 4. Hella Jongerius, Breathing Colour, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, photo by Åsa

Sjödin 2019-12-01.

Image 5. Hella Jongerius, Breathing Colour, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, photo by Åsa

Sjödin 2019-12-01.

Image 6. NAMES Aids Memorial Quilt, Logo and Press Image

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ahssxgzs7jws5aa/AAD45NWTPRG2GtiVDfOvdxaGa?dl=0&pr

eview=DC2_1.bmp (accessed 19 March 2020).

Image 7. Fahrelnissa Zeid, My Hell, oil paint on canvas, 205 x 528, 1951,

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tate.org.uk%2Fpress%2Fpre

ss-releases%2Ffahrelnissa-

zeid&psig=AOvVaw1IB36yxpeIg0R6yAHoR5nx&ust=1581363153822000&source=images

&cd=vfe&ved=2ahUKEwjujdD5msXnAhWQwSoKHSDGACIQr4kDegUIARDPAQ

(accessed 9 February 2020).

Image 8. Melissa McCracken, Time – Pink Floyd, 2016

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a540e61a8b2b0b72660438d/t/5c7da400085229ec8369

bbb7/1551737856362/Time.jpeg (accessed 9 February 2020).

Image 9. Melissa McCracken, Imagine – John Lennon,

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a540e61a8b2b0b72660438d/t/5c7d99fce79c701d7e56

4315/1551735293457/IMG_1513.JPG (accessed 9 February 2020).

Image 10. Carol Steen, Cyto, 1995, bronze and steel,

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/It%27s-a-Colorful-World%3A-Synesthesia-Effect-on-

of-and-Knight/8857f3f176488a96964e38d2b79fd2c9bd75537e/figure/3 (accessed 9 February

2020).

Image 11. Carol Steen, Full View, https://www.thecut.com/2016/07/why-do-so-many-artists-

have-synesthesia.html (accessed 9 February 2020).

Image 12. Carol Steen, Zigzag, 1995, steel, bronze and silver,

http://web.mit.edu/synesthesia/www/zigzag.html (accessed 9 February 2020).

Image 13. Seb Duke, Per Aspera, https://thebiginthesmall.ca/collections/bubble-

art/products/per-aspera?variant=30280955789355 (accessed 23 February 2020).

Image 14–27. Åsa Sjödin

i

Appendices 1. Here are explanatory pictures of the Gestalt theory principles.

Prägnanz

The simplest interpretation is to see the figure as three squares.

Proximity one group separate parts

Elements close to each other are perceived as related.

Closure

Figure-ground

Necker Cube = multistable

Similarity

Common fate

Good continuation

We perceive this as two crossing lines, rather than…

Symmetry [ ] { } [ ]

ii

2. Reflection

One can certainly say that the grand finale of this master education was anything but grand.

Examinations were done online via Zoom, an exhibition were made for no one to see and

Konstfack’s Degree Exhibition being digital. We all must adjust to the current pandemic

situation, the need for social distancing forced us to find other ways to meet and show our work.

I will first talk about my examination. Standing and talking in front of a lot of people is not

something I feel comfortable doing so for me personally, I did not mind sitting in the comfort

of my home talking into the screen of my computer. It was a strange feeling not seeing the

people you were talking to but for me it was not a disadvantage. It would have been nice to

meet my opponent Marcia Harvey Isaksson in person though and not just through a screen. I

thought the discussion with my opponent Marcia was very nice. Her questions were relevant

and not too hard to answer. Although I realised afterwards that I had misunderstood a few of

her questions, maybe I was taken by the moment. I thought about recording the opposition but

completely forgot about it. But maybe that was a good thing, it would have been painful to

listen to afterwards.

A question I got from Marcia was regarding the Gestalt theory and, if I do not remember it

wrong, what its contribution to my work was. When reading about synesthesia, it is often related

to the Gestalt theory. The aspect that perception is a process from above downward, where we

perceive entire patterns or configurations rather than individual elements is relevant for my

work. It is also where the title of my work comes from. However, when looking back at my

process, I really think that my work could have manage just as well without making the

principles of Gestalt a part of my method.

I would like to say something about the exhibition that we built in connection to the

examinations with the purpose to document our work for the opponents and for the CRAFT!

catalogue. I had an intention to paint the wall in a dark colour but with the given timeframe of

2,5 hours for hanging I did not see that it was possible for me to do that. Also, the placement in

Seminariegatan was not the best. There was a bar going across the room in front of my piece

which was not moveable, and the opposite side was not possible for hanging either, we tried.

The bright daylight from the windows above did not benefit my work. I would have liked a

darker setting, like inside of a cathedral which I was inspired by. I think it would have been

more suitable and given me a better chance to illuminate my work. On top of this, the skylift

used for hanging was very dirty and the black fabric attracted dust particles which were very

iii

visible and impossible to get rid of. So, under the circumstances I felt pretty good about not

having visitors to the exhibition.

From the exhibition in Seminariegatan. Photo: Åsa Sjödin

Some reflections of my work and what I could have done differently is that I really wanted my

work to be in one piece, a whole. But working in such large size was very cumbersome and I

think that could have been avoided to some extent if I had made it in two pieces. Textile is a

soft material that kind of has a “life of its own”. It moves depending on external circumstances.

I embrace this movement but think that the black panels should have been reinforced to make

them a little stiffer. Another thought is that I should have settled for the top part of the

patchwork, making it a square shape.

For our exhibition at Gustavsbergs Konsthall I chose to alter my piece. First, I made it into two

pieces which makes it more manageable, secondly, I chose to make the lower part shorter. The

black panels were made relatively shorter and partly reinforced so that more of the coloured

iv

ones were shown. I am happy that we got this opportunity to show our work for an actual

audience and not just through a computer screen.

From the set up of the exhibition at Gustavsbergs Konsthall. Photo: Caroline Harrius

Looking forward, I can see myself working with patchwork again. But instead of working with

a very strict pattern, like the cathedral window, I would like to use the pattern of the dyed fabric

as a determinant of the shape. I think that would be an interesting approach to see what will

happen when working from that point of departure. With this work I feel that the expression of

the dyed fabric got lost a bit when it was cut up in pieces.

I am going to end this reflection in the same way as I ended my examination presentation.

Putting things in a perspective though. We are in the middle of a pandemic where thousands of

lives all over the world are taken by a virus. Families are broken, humans are isolated, and

economies are crashing. So what - if my fabric isn’t hanging as flat and straight as I intended.

So what - if there was a bar hanging in front of my piece in Seminariegatan. So what - if the

light was too bright and the wall behind still white. So what - if our exhibitions were cancelled.

It is sad, absolutely, but that is not the end of the world.