A Synesthete Maps the London Underground

Ever wondered what words taste like as they roll off the tongue? From the delectable to the putrid, James Wannerton has compiled a smorgasbord of the London Underground.

For him, winding through the Tube is a visceral, gastronomic experience. For example, Bond Street is the acidic bite of hair spray, Euston Square is the meaty sweetness of caramelised lamb and Willesden Junction is the translucent texture of evaporated milk. The specificity is astounding.

However, it's not just when Wannerton is rocketing through the underground that he is plagued by different tastes, but in daily life as well. For example, he reveals on his website, "If you are called Virginia, Denise, Donna, Helen or Christine, my brain unfortunately places you at a disadvantage. Sorry. I can't help it."

Wannerton has lexical-gustatory synaesthesia, a condition characterised by the involuntary taste testing of words; it is the conflation of senses that are normally experienced separately.

Though his map may come across as fun and eclectic, Wannerton's process of creating it was a meticulous operation that took 38 years. According to him, some stations required revisiting as tastes and textures change with the general ambience of the station. Further, the flavour map can actually have a pragmatic purpose. Researchers can use resources like this to study links between taste synaesthesia and word formation.

You have to admire Wannerton’s commitment to accuracy. However, apparently the London underground is just an appetiser; he has now turned his taste buds towards creating similar diagrams of the New York subway and Toronto network.

Via Fast Co.Design.