The Sound of Journey | Interview with Stanley Gai

Click on the image at the bottom to listen🎵.

Preface｜When One Eye Can’t See Clearly, the Ear Becomes a Guide
Stanley Gai is a student at Bucknell University in the U.S. and a passionate traveler. He lives with amblyopia, commonly known as “lazy eye,” in his right eye. This condition — where the brain and the eye fail to communicate properly — leads to blurry or distorted vision that cannot be fully corrected with glasses. For Stanley, the world through his right eye is often out of focus, lacking depth or detail. But that’s never stopped him from moving forward.

In March 2025, Stanley traveled solo to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While wandering through the city, he snapped a photo of a man painting a map on a blue wall — a completely unplanned moment. For him, the best memories are often those captured without effort. Today, that spontaneous image has been turned into music by ChromaSonic, allowing him to hear Brazil again — not just with his ears, but with memory.

The following is a 25-minute conversation with Stanley.

Interview｜“The unnoticed moments — they’re how I hear the world.”
Q1: Hey Stanley! We're so glad to have you in the project. Can you tell us about your trip to Brazil?
Of course. It was my first time in South America, and honestly, it was kind of spontaneous. I stayed in Rio for about a week, just walking around, exploring street corners, listening to music. It’s a city that breathes rhythm — you feel it in the pavement.

Q2: What’s the story behind the photo you submitted?
I was walking with no particular destination, and I saw this wall where someone was painting a hand-drawn map. The colors were beautiful in the afternoon light. I didn’t overthink it — just took the photo. It wasn’t about framing a perfect shot, it was about catching something alive.

Q3: When were you diagnosed with amblyopia? Has it affected your travel life?
I was diagnosed in early elementary school. After failed treatments, I just learned to live with it. My right eye is always blurry, and depth perception gets confusing — especially in unfamiliar places. But I don’t let it stop me. If anything, it makes me focus more on what I can’t see — like sounds, smells, the air.

Q4: How do you feel about traveling with “incomplete” vision?
I don’t think I see less — I just see differently. Some people capture the world with their eyes, I capture it through sensation. I don’t take postcard photos — I like documenting the rhythm of a city, the sounds in alleyways, or something a stranger once said.

Q5: What makes this photo special to you?
It doesn’t have a clear subject. There’s no dramatic focus. But it feels like life. I can hear the man breathing as he paints, I can feel the city flowing. To me, it’s not scenery — it’s a slice of time.

Q6: Before hearing the audio generated from your photo, what do you hope it includes?
I hope it captures some kind of Brazilian rhythm — like gentle percussion, a bit of street Bossa Nova, maybe even electric guitar. I’d love for it to feel raw, not polished — something imperfect, loose, and free.

Q7: Let’s play the music based on your photo now. Close your eyes and take it in.

(Audio plays)

Q8: What’s the first thing you felt?
It was surreal. The rhythm reminded me of the street drums I heard near Lapa. Kinda irregular, but real. There was a melodic phrase that felt like something I heard on a bus. Like the photo, the details weren’t sharp, but the emotion was clear.

Q9: Was there a moment that especially struck you?
Yes — there was this bass slide that felt like a heartbeat. It instantly brought back the feeling of standing in front of that wall, frozen in time, with the world rushing past my ears.

Q10: Did this music help you “see” the photo again?
Not exactly “see,” but definitely feel it again. I used to think of photos as static, but this sound brought it to life. Like the air and light of that day were replayed for me.

Q11: What role does music play in your travels?
It’s both a map and a sanctuary. I often walk long distances alone, listening to local radio or soundscapes. Music helps me feel grounded — it’s how I confirm, I’m really here.

Q12: If you could turn your memories into sound, which travel moments would you preserve?
The early morning prayer calls in Morocco, the sound of wind on my tent in Iceland, the quiet beep of a fridge in a Tokyo 7-Eleven, and this one: an afternoon in Brazil, sunlight on a wall, people speaking Portuguese I couldn’t understand.

Q13: Do you think turning images into sound is helpful for people like you?
It’s not just a substitute — it’s an extension. It doesn’t help me “see,” it helps me remember. I don’t often revisit photos, but this sound — I’ll listen to it again and again.

Q14: If you could convert one more photo into music, which would it be?
There’s one I took in Uzbekistan — an old man selling spices in a chaotic bazaar. The picture is messy, but I imagine the sound could be so layered: spice, heat, overlapping voices, the beat of daily life.

Q15: Finally, what would you like to say to the people creating this project?
Thank you for letting memory have sound. Beauty isn’t only in pictures. For those of us with limited sight, listening is a full way of seeing.

Postscript｜His Eyes May Blur, But His Steps — and His Ears — Never Stop
After the interview, Stanley said he’d save the audio to his phone — not to share, but to play again during his next airport layover or quiet night train ride. For him, travel doesn’t require perfect vision — it just requires feeling.

ChromaSonic is not just a technological experiment. It’s a response to the call for perceptual equality. When sight cannot fully preserve a moment, sound can. And in that sonic world, each of us can still arrive — and truly belong.