The idea that colour can be translated into sound is an interesting one, that it can affect our senses both visually and aurally. We’ve recently written about students from Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, who investigated this principle with their Audible Color project. They developed a system, where each shade is assigned to a different note. When they mixed primary colours together, they produced a kaleidoscope of sounds.

In New York University, Interactive Communication students Natasha Dzurny and Louie Foo are working on a cross-sensory project that explores the relationship between colour and sound. Their cartoonish device called Color Play, uses light frequency sensors. It looks like a record player, but plays music from a colour wheel, rather than a vinyl disc. The wheel is made up of plastic wedges in different shades and widths. Each colour matches a pitch, and each width a specific rhythm. The wedges can be mixed and matched, and ‘records’ can be spun at different speeds, controlled by a knob on the player.

The device is powered by a colour sensor. Each shade reflects a different amount of light, and this process is recorded by it. In return, each sound corresponds to these the values, allowing to create different melodies.