The 1st CAA Synesthesia & Liberal Arts International Forum was Held in Hangzhou, China

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Nov 20, 2023, 20:44 ET

HANGZHOU, China, Nov. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the China Academy of Art, as the forerunner of the series of activities of "Draw from the Sources, Venture with the Greats", the first Synaesthesian & Liberal Arts International Academic Forum was held at the Liangzhu Campus of the China Academy of Art on November 8 and 9, 2023.

As the first international academic forum in China with the theme of synaesthesia and liberal arts, the forum takes humanism as its base and synaesthesia as its core theme, emphasizing the organic combination of academic theory and creative practice. Many of the world's top universities and research institutions, experts and scholars deeply engaged in the field of synaesthesia and humanities were invited to attend Chinese and foreign dialogues or participate in online forums, presenting multidimensional and deep-level research sharing of world synaesthesia, and exploring the multiple intersection of cognitive neuroscience and art and humanities. During the period, the forum ran through several artistic performances and exhibitions inspired by the concept of synesthesia, and presented a feast of audio-visual and spiritual integration of "sight, hearing, smell, touch, body, mind, sense and knowledge" through the theory of multidimensional visualization of artistic creation.

On November 8, the main forum that lasted all day, "The Brodness and Elegance of Synesthesia", was led by 9 prominent experts and scholars at home and abroad: "Examining History and Civilization through Temporal Lens" by Jorg Jewanski, the Adjunct Professor of Musicology at the University of Vienna in conversation with Zhang Wenjiang, the professor at the College of Humanities, Tongji University, and the visiting professor at the China Academy of Art; "The Rhetorical Connection and Collision between Music and Poetry" by the professor Robert Blocker, the former Dean of Yale School of Music, Professor of Piano and Senior Advisor to the Yale University President Peter Salovey in conversation with Jiang Ruoshui, the professor at the School of Media and International Culture of Zhejiang University; "the Multiple-sense Mystery: Audiovisual and Taste" by Simon Shaw-Miller, the Chairman Emeritus of the Department of History of Art at the University of Bristol in conversation with Chen Li, the professor at Zhejiang University, and "Media Spectrum from Tradition to Contemporary"by Dana Karwas, the Director of the Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM) at Yale University in conversation with Gao Ping, the composer and pianist and Wei Xiaorong, the professor at the China Academy of Art. Tracing back to ancient and modern times, experts and scholars have combed the research context of synaesthesia, explored the practical means of synaesthesia in different creative fields, and explored the connotation development and creative application of synaesthesia under the broad perspective of liberal arts education with the collision of thinking from the perspective of global research.

On the evening of the 8th, the special event Toward Infinity: The Audiovisual Concert Dedicated to Zao Wou-ki , was presented by nearly 20 artists jointly. Sound and painting echoed in the same field, immersing in the synsensory linkage between audiovisual arts. And on November 9, Online Panel and Young Scholar Panel was held. Speakers included international guests such as Lawrence Marks, Sean Day and Margaret Livingstone.

In addition, the forum also set up a special Synsensory Games and experience area. Through a number of immersive synaesthesia games, the audience can be led to trigger the connection of eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, discover synaesthesia in the classics of art history, and further open the new sensibility of color, smell, sound and taste touch.

As part of the Academic Events Commemorating the 95th Anniversary of China Academy of Art, the Synesthesia & Liberal Arts International Academic Forum is expected to further play the role of the China Academy of Art as a leader and bridgehead in the field of art education and interdisciplinary research, to think about art issues from the perspective of mutual learning of world civilizations, and to break disciplinary barriers and liberate artistic creativity with the concept of synesthesia. While tracing the origin, we should pay attention to the present and grasp the pulse and potential trend of the development of human civilization in the 21st century. The forum also creates academic exchanges and innovative practice projects with far-reaching significance and wide influence for liberal arts education in the new century. Promote the long-term development of academic research, education and training, practical creation, dissemination and promotion of synaesthesia in China, so as to promote the source of synaesthesia and liberal arts and general knowledge to develop a "living water" with vitality, so that it will merge into the river and sea of broader art research.

SOURCE China Academy of Art