Synesthetic translation. A theoretical framework

The concept of Synaesthetic translation – historically applied to artistic productions (SOURIAU, 1947; PIGNOTTI, 1993; RICCÒ, 1999; CANO, 2002) and in the twentieth century applied by scholars to neuroscience to explain the unity of the senses (MARKS, 1978 “Synesthetic translation”) – is addressed, defined and illustrated, in this paper to the communication design. The paper studies the ways of the to translate from a abstract concept to mental image, and then from mental image to graphic sign, and vice versa from graphic or photographic image, translated in description, in sounds or in tactile representations. The purpose, and the application contexts, are the access to the reading of the texts under different conditions of use, also for people with sensory disabilities. The first part of the paper aims to provide a theoretical framework of the types of synesthetic translations – aimed at accessibility of content even in conditions of sensory disability – which consider: 1. written/verbal language, 2. written/figurative language, 3. sonorous language, 4. oral language; in the possible combinations in relation to existing exemplary cases. The second part of the paper introduces the results of two didactic experiences with the students of the Master of Science degree in Communication Design (at Politecnico di Milano): one dedicated to tactile exploration and to the effects on the recognition skills of printing and realization techniques; the second is a collaborative visual music exercise realized on the music of Ravel's Bolero that intends to train students on the concept of synesthetic translations and to verify what level of audio / video correspondence is necessary to define to arrive at a synesthetically coherent video project with a strong visual identity.