Beau Lotto

Beau Lotto is a neuroscientist and expert in perception. His research explores how we experience the world through personal versions of reality.

In his TED Talk "Optical illusions show how we see" (2009), Lotto discusses how music can be made with colour. Children were asked to create images while being encouraged to think about what pictures they see would sound like if they could be heard. Lotto then translated the children's artworks into sound. The sample presented was a collage created by a six-year-old translated into a musical composition of a 32-piece orchestra.

Although Lotto does not explain how the process is achieved, it instantly reminds me of Kandinsky's colour theory, where different colours co-relate to and represent emotional states.

The colours used by Lotto in many of the illusions were opposites on the colour spectrum, such as green/red and yellow/purple, which omit the same light frequency and are thus often used in such experiments and demonstrations.

Thinking about this, I wonder if Lotto uses light spectrum frequencies are used to generate sound.

Shane suggested I research Lotto in response to an email I had sent him asking for advice on applying for a PhD Candidature, in which I also provided a basic outline of my research topic.

Lotto, as with many other scientists, turns toward art to define and broaden their research.

My research turns to neuroscience, exploring how the brain interprets rhythm and energy. Does the brain perceive rhythm and energy as physical? Do rhythm and energy affect the making and consumption of art? If so, how? To what means can scientific knowledge be utilised from the perspective of the artist?

Keywords

Beau Lotto, Neuroscience, TED, Illusions, Colour, Colour spectrum, Sound

Bibliography

Lotto, Beau. 2009. "Optical Illusions Show How We See". Ted.Com. https://www.ted.com/talks/beau_lotto_optical_illusions_show_how_we_see?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare.