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Visually Transferring Energy
(Not just powerful art)

Visually Transferring Energy

Vegeta
Jedi Mind Tricks

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Joined: Mar 17, 2007
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Posted 02/27/08 - 10:26 PM: Subject: Visually Transferring Energy	#1
Hello; After watching a documentary on Daniel Tammet (you should look him up if you are unsure who he is!) I was wandering if you think it is possible to transfer the same type of energy, or logic to the human brain through other forms of visual elements. When Daniel see's a specific number it creates a certain emotion e.g. when he see's 3.144 (Pi) he feels a very warm and comforting feeling, but he see's the number nine as being very intimidating and powerful. Do you think transferring energy through visual art can be done? What are your guys thoughts? Any questions just ask, really interested. Cheers.

Goaswerfraiejen
Assistant Professor

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Posted 02/27/08 - 10:43 PM:	#2
This was one of the main ideas behind a number of artistic movements in the late 19th and early 20th century, notably those influenced by Theosophy (like Kandinsky's... stuff. Der Blau Reiter, I guess). I think that it has some merit to it, but not nearly as much as is sometimes claimed, and probably not nearly as much as this Tammet guy thinks. Certainly, red hues tend to be associated with warmth, and those colours tend to come forward in a composition while cool hues tend to recede. That much, I can go for. I don't think you can really get much further than very broad, general things like this, however, and it's not at all clear to me that it's not just some kind of culturally-conditioned response. The other thing worth noting is that it was also believed that music could do the same, and so there were a bunch of guys in the 19th century (IIRC; my music history is... crappy at best) who wanted to paint with sound, so they'd title their compositions "Portrait of a Mountain" and try to evoke mountainous feelings and images in the audience's minds. That, to me, seems more successful--again, however, I suspect it's just the result of stronger cultural conditioning (we're taught rather early on to associate certain tunes and jingles with certain products, etc.). Can a number communicate a feeling? Sure, I can't deny it. Can it do so widely and without the intervention of conditioning? Probably not. On the other hand, maybe the conditioning is irrelevant, and what matters is how the symbols are interpreted--that's how math, logic, and language work, after all. So... yeah. Inconclusive.

Fergus Currie
Blind watcher of the sky

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Posted 02/28/08 - 07:45 AM:	#3
Daniel Tammet has a rare neurological condition called synaesthesia where senses are not quite as separate as they are in 'normally' functioning brains. For instance one case may be a crossing of taste and hearing where the subject, upon hearing a trombone suddenly and inexplicably tastes wine gums, and on hearing an electric guitar might taste tomato soup! This does happen and it is how some savants seem to have incredible memories. I cant remember his name but I once saw on TV a guy (maybe it's Mr. Tammet) recite pi, the number to a mind-boggling amount of decimal points. He saw the numbers as landscapes and remembered the landscape as a journey and then retranslated the journey back into digits. Now, as far as this amounts to the ability to transfer energies, and by that I assume you mean inter-aesthetic sensations common to most humans,I don't think this holds true. The 'crossed wires' are of a different nature - there is no common acceptance that the number 2 feels like hot rubber, etc. It does give a fascinating insight as to how the brain handles information. Anyone reading Kant would find this a most bizarre way to prove that we only interpret reality and do not observe it per se. FC
_____________________ ...and so Achilles never reaches the tortoise. ...so never send Achilles to get fags!

Fergus Currie
Blind watcher of the sky

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Joined: Jan 11, 2008
Location: Athens Greece
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Posted 02/29/08 - 05:18 AM:	#4
I just Googled Daniel Tammet and indeed he is the guy with pi! Cheers FC
_____________________ ...and so Achilles never reaches the tortoise. ...so never send Achilles to get fags!

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