Beatrix Brief

Coaches of NuVu: an interactive installation that aims to visualize the link between sound and color for people with synesthesia. Synesthesia is defined as “the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body.” This basically means that someone with synesthesia could hear a friend, teacher, or stranger and see unique colors when they talked. Coaches of NuVu takes three coaches at NuVu; Tessa, Rosa, and Karen, and displays color(s) for each person that a synesthete at NuVu sees when they hear their voices. To more strongly bridge this connection, users will also hear an interview with the coaches.

This project works simply by a user pressing one of three buttons. Each button is assigned to a different box: one for each coach. Every box has a coach’s silhouette cut out of it, and hidden LEDs behind a light diffuser. When a button is pressed, whatever box it is connected to will light up with whatever colors synesthete associates with the designated coach: for example, Karen’s silhouette would light up with blue. Through a pair of headphones, a recording of coach talking will play; this is also meant to help students at NuVu learn more about their coaches.

Rosa Brief
The Coaches of NuVu: This project focuses on displaying synesthesia and allowing NuVu students to learn more about their coaches in an educational environment. This installation is aimed to help users understand and experience how someone with synesthesia sees the world. By using audio and colors, the boxes can help simulate how in a synesthete's brain, color and sound are correlated. In addition to this, students, as well as outside users, can learn more about coaches through an installation that not only highlights synesthesia but also enables users to learn about life at NuVu. 

The project consists of notched wooden boxes that have buttons that play audio and show light when pressed. In the wooden box, it has a cut out of a coach with a pressure fit foggy acrylic material in order to diffuse the light. In addition, the project uses audio as well as sound to allow users to fully immerse themselves into an environment closest to that of a synesthete.