when?
i started creating this site on monday 13 january 2003.
how?
the site is written by hand, in geocities advanced html editor. all graphics are created by myself, in mspaint and ms photo editor. the site is hosted on geocities. i can't do much about the pop-ups, because i can't afford to host anywhere that isn't free, and at the moment geocities is the best i can find.
the name
hypersynesthesia - the name comes from a condition that i have called synesthesia. it's estimated that 1 in 2000 people experience it. it's a condition where the senses are conjoined; stimulation of one sense triggers reactive stimulation of other senses - some people associate smells with colours, others feel sounds... some have multiple associations.
in my case i associate words, letters and some sounds with colours - my mind has long associated particular letters of the alphabet with particular colours, that don't change - e.g. "m" has always been emerald/forest green, "p" has always been sky blue; my alphabet is not only a sequence of letters, but a colour spectrum. it's not a particularly psychedelic experience - though it may be for others - for me, the colours of each letter and word are simply attributes as basic as the shape of the letter or the construction of the word.
i used the name for the site [edited slightly because synesthesia was taken, grr!] because writing and sketching/painting have always been an integral part of me; i started reading and drawing pretty early as a child, and haven't stopped since! finding out about synesthesia gave me an idea of why the lexical quality of words and the colourful imagery of art are so much a part of me - in my mind, the two are vitally linked. synesthesia plays a large part in my musically-inspired work, as i'm interested in expressing the experience of sound through visual imagery.
design
i wanted a fairly simple, basic layout. my other site is quite fiddly and design-orientated... this site is more functional.
the background image in this frame is a series of lyrics from some of my favourite bands. a couple of people have asked about what the lyrics say, so here's the full thing. the image is very dark and unreadable in places so if you can't work out bits of it, the words are below... i'm not telling you what songs the lyrics are all from though - that's for you to work out...
i had a vision like an acrobat you caught me spinning like a wheel i am now surrounded by hypocrites liars drunks clowns fools sycophants and the desperate in 92 i remember it clearly when he choked on the olive in his dry martini you didn't even phone me afterwards whatsoever i've cradled i've put you down and you can blame it on the weatherman but it's pouring down inside it's a bottle warming on a shelf it's feeling just inches away from death you've been seen with another girl she's in everyone you meet and i can hear your heartbeat learn to swim show me all your favourite things show you all mine too little girl please don't wait for me hey little girl would you like some candy pulled down by the undertow never thought i could feel so low he is bored he is crap he is a fucking disgrace don't be sad the band don't sound half bad apparently you're happy i've realised i'm meant to be unhappy i've realised why drink and drive when you can smoke and fly strip baby strip cos you know you're worth nothing tonight the stars drive limo we left a message for you at the base of your neck under your skin they won't take us alive we are beyond embarrassment there is something lurking in the back of my mind will you stop pretending i've never been born now i look a little more like that guy from korn