Seeing Sound (Sound Collection)

August 2024 - March, 2026

Acrylic paintings by Emma Rarick

Think about stepping off a huge roller coaster. Your body is spinning, your balance feels off, and your senses are overwhelmed as they try to settle down. For many people with Sensory Processing Disorder, everyday places can feel like this. Sounds, lights, movement, and touch can all come at once and feel stronger than usual, making the world feel busy and hard to sort out.

These paintings explore what it feels like to experience the world when your senses work differently, where sights, sounds, and movement overlap and the visual field can feel like a constant shapeshifter. For those navigating this shifting sensory landscape, music can serve as a grounding tool.

Sound is something you feel in your body, not just hear. The rhythm provides a sense of direction as the body’s senses shift in and out of focus. The drumbeat anchors the body to the pull of the earth, and its weight guides thick, vertical marks across the canvas—like the comforting pressure of a weighted blanket settling the body. Heavy beats in the music become thick passages of paint applied with a palette knife. However, complete order and clarity never exists. Soft, safe sounds move through the paintings as swirling transparencies. Loud or stressful sounds show up as sharp sporadic dots and scratches. Warm colors show the body’s warmth in stress, while cool blues reflect the ever-present, shivering that accompanies the body when grounded in a space.

In a world where people are often quick to judge others' experiences, this work is meant to slow things down and allow a space for people to experience familiar spaces in different ways. It’s a small reminder that understanding, patience, and kindness can make a difference.