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Birds of a Feather by Tanja Ackerman

As a synaesthete, my experience of the world is shaped by the blending of senses, where music and colour dance together in my visual field. When I listened to Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” I felt a wonderful wave of ethereal tones. The sound of the song was a quiet, organic swirl of greens and pale pinks — a gentle, introspective palette that whispered of connection, solitude, and the fluidity of emotions. The hues moved like the delicate movement of feathers in the wind, soft yet resonant with depth.

For me, translating this auditory experience into visual form required careful, detailed fine line work. I used the fine precision of line to reflect the subtleties within the music — the quiet, fragile moments that evoke both melancholy and warmth. The abstraction allows the viewer to step into the space of these sensations without being bound to literal representations, offering an open-ended experience for everyone.

The interplay of greens evokes the calm and grounding energy of nature, while the pale pinks bring a softness that speaks to the vulnerability and tenderness of human connection. Acrylic on paper provided the perfect medium to embody the delicate balance between fluidity and structure.

This piece is not just a visual interpretation of a song — it is an invitation to experience the song in a new way, where colour becomes the language of music, and every line serves as an extension of the sound itself. Through this work, I hope to offer others a chance to feel the song as I do — not only through hearing, but through seeing.