#phantomwords

Although not exactly what she describes and is evident in the work, Phantom Words is the inspiration behind the title of this blog. As you say Soundwitch your mind simultaneously hears the word Sandwich. It is a simple thing but it demonstrates how psychology plays an incredibly complex role in how we perceive the world based on our audition and therefor, approach designing sound.

When looking at, or rather listening to, this work from a Gestalt point of view, where ‘the whole is different from the sum of it’s parts.’ (Hilgard 1979, p.129) Audition’s ‘main patterns are those of Succession, Change and Rhythm.’ (Hilgard 1979, p.129) It is clear to see, hear, this principal of perception in action while listening to any of Diana’s compositions. I would suggest that, ‘Once the mind realizes that there is a new ‘whole’ in the equation, it attempts to then deconstruct it, analyzing the parts. The subconscious mind then searches it’s databases for recognizable patterns, attempting to find a reason within the anomaly, discounting any previous pattern known from the original ‘parts’. The conscious mind then starts filling in the blanks in the hope that YOU, the individual, will be able to discern some sort of valuable meaning from a stream of randomized pattern recognition, thrown at you in real time’ (Smith 2016).

Diana Deutsch has been researching the phenomena of phantom words (not to be confused with EVP or Electronic Voice Phenomena) for over 20 years and has discovered some other ‘patterns’ that speak to the ‘individuality’ of auditory perception, she writes...

‘People appear to hear words and phrases that reflect what is on their minds – rather as in a Rorschach test, though it’s my impression that the present effect is stronger. I can guess who is likely to be on a diet, as they report words like ‘I’m hungry’. ‘diet coke’ or ‘feel fat’. And students who are stressed tend to report words that are related to stress – if I play these sounds close to exam time, students may well hear phrases like ‘I’m tired’, ‘no brain’, or ‘no time’. Interestingly, female students often report the word ‘love’, while male students are more likely to report sexually explicit words and phrases.’ (Deutsch 2013)

So perhaps we can influence our audience by creating a highly consumable environment with a preconceived emotional outcome, in the lead up to what we intend to present, thus priming them for an final auditory experience that they will share with others but discover disparate recollections.

Combining this principal with highly intelligent generative visuals and some sort of post experience activity, i’m sure will lead to some melted brains needing to be mopped up.

Hilgard. ER, Atkinson RL, Atkinson RC (1979), Introduction to psychology, seventh edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich inc.,NY.

Interpretations of “Phantom Words” by Diana Deutsch 

 no no no no no no no no no no no no where nowhere nowhere nowhere where nowhere nowhere no where no where now where where where weh no weh noweh noweh noweh no way no way noway noway no way noweh no weh no weh wait wait no wait no wait no wait no wait no wait no weh no wag no weh no weh ruroh ru roh no wag nag nag nag nag no no no wag way way way no no bleh bleh bleh meh meh no no no no no no no no no no