Subject: Fwd: Eidetic and Entoptic From: Peter Marvit <marvit(at)CATTELL.PSYCH.UPENN.EDU> Date: Wed, 12 Jan 1994 14:18:43 ESTDear Auditory folks. I saw an intriguing query on another list. I subsequently corresponded with the author and offered to forward his comments to this list. I thought readers would find his question thought-provoking. If anyone can offer advice, be sure to cc AUDITORY or me. I'll be happy to forward back to Don any responses made to the whole list. In any case *I'm* interested, too. -Peter : Peter Marvit <marvit(at)psych.upenn.edu>, Psychology Dept, Univ. of Penn : : 3815 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104 w:215/898-6274 fax:215/898-7301 : ------- Forwarded Message Date: Wed, 05 Jan 94 13:38:13 -0800 From: donhill(at)wimsey.com (Don Hill) To: marvit(at)cattell.psych.upenn.edu Subject: Eidetic and Entoptic Peter, Thanks for your e-mail of 27 December. Yes, of course, please do forward my request. Meantime: I've narrowed my search to "eidetic" memory and "entoptic" images. Could you attach the following as a replacement to the Cogneuro query: I'm an independent writer/producer working with public broadcasting in Canada. My production focus is on music and art: an example is a recent award-winning television special "Music, Mountains, Magic: The Banff International String Quartet Competition." Science, in particular, physics is a major interest. On national radio, I've written and presented documentaries on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's venerable series "Ideas." And I'm a familiar voice on public radio in western Canada. I have a request. Briefly: an episode of a World Music series (in development) explores the relationship between frequency response (harmonics) and geometric visions often captured in Aboriginal, African, and North American art and artifacts; I believe this is known as "eidetic" or "entoptic (intraocular) images" - not to be confused as synaesthesia (another area of interest). The great cathedrals of Europe (Amiens, Chartres et al) seem as if they were designed to compliment and enhance over-and-under-tones: outcomes of choral singing. A Latin inscription, "Octavus sanctos omnes docet esse beatos," graces a column in the abbey church of Cluney in France. It translates: The Octave teaches all Saints to be Blessed. Gregorian chanting illustrates the capacity and wonder of a cathedral's unique harmonic properties. I want to explore connections (if any) between harmonics and hallucination: synaesthestic response to sacred music (for example, is there Renaissance and Medieval European art that connects to the striking geometry of the Aborigines?); landscapes (North American Indians left behind curious geometric inscriptions and artifacts at Vision Quest sites); architecture (this is a stretch: Was the Parthenon, for example, an outcome of a geometric hallucination induced by "eidetic" or "entoptic image" experience - before Pythagoras?); science (Chinese celestial harmonies; Pythagoras to Kepler's "harmony of the spheres"). And, of course, there's Buddhist Yantra designs - a visual form of sound mantra where each geometric level (of the yantra) corresponds to a note of a musical scale. Where can I learn more about this? Who can I talk to? Research? Thanks for the bandwidth. Regards for the New Year, Don Hill donhill(at)wimsey.com ------- End of Forwarded Message