Synesthesia

£125.00 GBP

  • ABOUT

      Sensuality ⸰ Spirit ⸰ Beauty ⸰ Reverence

      ⦁ Handcrafted in England  

      ⦁ Naturally dyed Tuscan leather

      ⦁ Swiss-made Riri zipper

      Synesthesia is about cross-wiring sensory experiences to access the unseen beauty and inner spirit of a thing. See the shape of a sound, hear the sound of a colour and open new reality - fresh reverence.

      Comes with an exquisite Exploration Card in a magnetic closure 'book box'.

  • The art

    • Arthur Dove "Foghorns" 1929

      Synesthesia is the experiencing of one of your senses through another. Hearing a certain sound when you see a shape, or a smell when you see a colour. In ‘Foghorns’, Arthur Dove explores this phenomenon to enable us to experience something in a new way and thus help us reach its internal, underlying ‘spirit’. 

      Arthur Dove aimed to reveal the hidden rhythms of his environment by extracting  and distilling form into its purest essence. With ‘Foghorns’ he crosses the boundaries of our senses, recreating the experience of synesthesia. He enables us to experience sound in a visual way. In doing so the ‘truth’ of fog horns in action is accessed more closely than, say, simply painting their apparatus.

      Viewing Arthur Dove’s painting is a visceral, highly experiential phenomenon. He places us into an immediate contact with the forms. The effect is both beautiful and thrilling.

  • The words

    • From Sara Teasdale's "Barter" 1918

      Life has loveliness to sell,

      Music like a curve of gold,

      Scent of pine trees in the rain,

      Eyes that love you, arms that hold,

      And for your spirit's still delight,

      Holy thoughts that star the night.

      In the artwork for Synesthesia, ‘Foghorns’, its artist, Arthur Dove, recreates a sensory experience - the sound of foghorns - through another sense; the visual. He creates an image which manages to access the ‘truth’ of the sound of a foghorn in a deeper way than merely painting the apparatus of the foghorns in a representational manner. But this also goes deeper - in the crossing of the senses - using the different or unusual to interpret something known - it can help us get to a new and deeper appreciation of a thing. It can help us see it via a new reality, be freshly struck by aspects of its fundamental beauty.

      Of course poets have been using this type of magic for millennia. Utilizing tools of metaphor, simile and rhythm; glory, transcendence and beauty are uncovered. New meaning is conveyed. Such as in Teasdale’s Barter:

      Barter

      Life has loveliness to sell,

      All beautiful and splendid things,

      Blue waves whitened on a cliff,

      Soaring fire that sways and sings,

      And children's faces looking up

      Holding wonder like a cup.

      Life has loveliness to sell,

      Music like a curve of gold,

      Scent of pine trees in the rain,

      Eyes that love you, arms that hold,

      And for your spirit's still delight,

      Holy thoughts that star the night.

      Spend all you have for loveliness,

      Buy it and never count the cost;

      For one white singing hour of peace

      Count many a year of strife well lost,

      And for a breath of ecstasy

      Give all you have been, or could be.

      In this poem we have a fire that sings - something visual described via an aural phenomena - in our minds we do what Arthur Dove did with Foghorns in reverse; we imagine the song of a fire. Teasdale gives us a 'Foghorns' type sketch describing music visually like ‘a curve of gold’.  Abstract elements are given physical manifestations - ‘wonder’ held in a cup, ‘Holy thoughts’ starring the night, an ‘hour of peace’ is white and singing. 

      Teasdale’s poem is a love song to loveliness, beauty and joy. She paints examples and tells us that these things are everything - that we should ‘buy’ them from life at all costs - that no price is too high. 

      Dove paints between the senses, draws down new reality and uncovers hidden rhythms. Teasdale's writes with a lyrical clarity and joyous passion. In doing so both create fresh, startling beauty for us to experience. And the price? Simply our open attention and a willingness to experiment a little, along with them.

  • Handcrafted in England

    • People & planet positive

      We do it properly, respectfully.

      ⦁ We use recycled nylon for stitch, zip and bond strength. The rest is plastic-free.

      ⦁ We pay everyone properly for their skill and expertise. 

      ⦁ Our tannery follows an ancient process using only non-toxic plant-based tannins.

      Our traditional methods give the leather an unmistakable warm and brilliant shade.

      Our pioneering printing lasts a lifetime

      Our leather printers re-create artworks like a tattoo. Ink absorbs deeper into the leather, resulting in unparalleled colour vibrancy, image quality and colour durability.

      Our pouches are crafted by highly-skilled, passionate people

      Our pouches are handcrafted in small batches using traditional methods. This, along with the natural variation in these artisan products, means each one is unique. Each is double-stitched at pressure points and fully leather lined.

      Wallet Size

      ⦁ Wallets are 11.5 x 8cm 

      ⦁ 100% leather outer, 100% leather lining

Customer Reviews

Based on 50 reviews
98%
(49)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
2%
(1)
0%
(0)
S
Sue H
High quality wallet

Beautifully made, durable, attractive. Bought a second one when I lost the first one. Never want to be without this in my pocket or bag. Holds 3 cards easily, would probably stretch to a fourth.

K
Kerry-anne Lang
Stunning

I bought this as a birthday gift for my boyfriend, however I’m yet to give it to him. The quality is amazing and I love the unique concept and design, I know he’s going to love it! It comes so beautifully packaged and the delivery was super quick. I will definitely purchase again!

P
Peter Stratton
Beautiful Wallet!

Beautiful wallet, really well made and perfect for carrying a few cards around. The only difficulty was in choosing which one to buy. I feel very pleased whenever I get it out of my pocket!

G
Guy Fothergill
Amazing Quality. Complimented on it all the time!

A bold design which is a real conversation piece. Amazing quality and beautifully packaged. Bought for myself but I think I will be buying for others in the very near future.

G
Georgia Rives
Love it!

It was exactly as pictured. Good quality and sturdy. Very happy with my purchase.

Customer Reviews

Based on 50 reviews
98%
(49)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
2%
(1)
0%
(0)
S
Sue H
High quality wallet

Beautifully made, durable, attractive. Bought a second one when I lost the first one. Never want to be without this in my pocket or bag. Holds 3 cards easily, would probably stretch to a fourth.

K
Kerry-anne Lang
Stunning

I bought this as a birthday gift for my boyfriend, however I’m yet to give it to him. The quality is amazing and I love the unique concept and design, I know he’s going to love it! It comes so beautifully packaged and the delivery was super quick. I will definitely purchase again!

P
Peter Stratton
Beautiful Wallet!

Beautiful wallet, really well made and perfect for carrying a few cards around. The only difficulty was in choosing which one to buy. I feel very pleased whenever I get it out of my pocket!

G
Guy Fothergill
Amazing Quality. Complimented on it all the time!

A bold design which is a real conversation piece. Amazing quality and beautifully packaged. Bought for myself but I think I will be buying for others in the very near future.

G
Georgia Rives
Love it!

It was exactly as pictured. Good quality and sturdy. Very happy with my purchase.