Wikipedia: James Wannerton is an English IT professional, artist and writer. He experiences sound to taste synaesthesia, including lexical-gustatory synaesthesia; i.e. he can taste all sounds, most significantly word sounds.
James was born in Manchester, England on 18 February 1959. His early years were spent in Willesden, North West London, the family moving from there to Chertsey, Surrey, and then, in early 1969, to Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Following a 14-month stay in Perth, Western Australia, he moved to Blackpool, Lancashire. He attended Stepgates Primary School in Surrey, Rosedale School in Welwyn Garden City followed by Monks Walk School, also in Welwyn Garden City.
James was one of the first individuals in the UK to have his synaesthetic experiences studied and documented, appearing in over 100 published research papers world-wide. In 2000 he teamed up with Professor Jamie Ward at University College London and Professor Julia Simner at the University of Edinburgh. He has also worked with Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and Dr John Harrison at Cambridge University.
In 2006, James was elected as President of the UK Synaesthesia Association (UKSA) with a remit to raise the profile and general awareness of synaesthesia via media strands and art/science projects and collaborations. He is also Vice President of the International Association of Synaesthetes, Artists and Scientists (IASAS), based in the USA. Within both roles he actively encourages other synaesthetes to speak about their unique and fascinating sensory experiences. His personal interests in synaesthesia extend to researching cognitive perception, intuition, reasoning and cognitive dissonance and he has been the subject of a number of published research papers and general interest articles on the subject of synaesthesia in Europe, the United States, China, Russia and Australia.
He has presented at many international neurology and synaesthesia conferences and regularly gives presentations at schools, colleges, National Health Service facilities and other public venues. He has featured in TV and radio documentaries broadcast by the BBC, ITV, Channels 4 & 5, ABC, CBS, NBC and the Discovery Channel for broadcast across Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and the USA.
James has recorded educational videos about synaesthesia for the Equality & Human Rights Commission and Wellcome Trust and was instrumental in the setting up of the National Health Service Choices synaesthesia web site which now pipes accurate and up to date information on synaesthesia into every GP surgery in the UK.
James’s artistic achievements include an award winning “Synaesthesia Garden” exhibited at the 2015 Royal Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and an interactive sound/vision to taste synaesthesia installation at the Victoria and Albert museum, London. He also has artworks on permanent display at Edinburgh University and the Trapholt Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.
He has also been interviewed for articles in the UK National press as well as in Europe, the USA, Africa and Australasia. A 2011 interview on the Wellcome Trust blog includes details of his childhood and how synaesthesia has influenced his choice of friends, job and his relationships.