The Sound of Twice | Interview with Ophelia

Click on the image at the bottom to listen🎵.

Preface｜When Vision Blurs, Sound Becomes the Shape of Memory
Ophelia Fu, a 21-year-old Chinese student majoring in Psychology at the University of Manchester, has lived with red-green color blindness and eye floaters since childhood. These conditions make her visual world confusing and unclear — colors often blend or distort, and details become difficult to recognize, especially in bright, flickering environments like concerts.

In July 2024, as a devoted fan of TWICE, she traveled to Japan to attend one of the group’s concerts, held at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. While she couldn’t fully see the stage lights or dynamic visuals, she chose instead to remember the moment through sound.

What follows is a 25-minute in-depth conversation with her.

Interview｜“That night wasn’t perfect — but I remember it perfectly.”
Q1: Hi Ophelia! Thank you so much for joining our project. Can you tell us what that TWICE concert meant to you?
Of course! It was my first time in Japan and my first time seeing TWICE live. The concert was at Nissan Stadium — it was huge and overwhelming in the best way. The lights, the crowd, the rhythm — it was all so exciting. I couldn’t see everything clearly, but I felt everything.

Q2: Why did you choose this particular photo for the project?
It was the moment when the screen lit up with the words “READY TO BE” at the very beginning of the show. I couldn’t really see the details on the screen, but emotionally, it was such a full moment. The photo feels like proof that I was really there.

Q3: Can you explain how color blindness and floaters affect your vision?
I have red-green color deficiency, so a lot of colors blend together — pink and orange are especially hard to tell apart. Floaters mean I constantly see dark spots floating in my vision, like looking through a dirty lens. The brighter the light, the more they multiply. At concerts, with all the fast-moving lights and flashing effects, it becomes chaos — so I usually just focus on the music.

Q4: Were there parts of the concert you found especially hard to see?
The light shows, the background animations, the words on the screen — I could sense they were dazzling, but I couldn’t make out the colors or shapes. Most of the time, it was like looking through colored fog — I only caught glimpses.

Q5: Even with those limitations, what helped you still enjoy the concert?
The sound. The bass in my chest made me feel present, and hearing the crowd sing together reminded me I wasn’t alone. I know each member’s voice so well — that night, I kept my eyes closed more than I kept them open. I chose to “see” through the music.

Q6: Before listening to the music we created from your photo, what kind of sound were you hoping to hear?
Something cute and dreamy — like TWICE’s vibe. Maybe a bit of that K-pop electronic energy, or soft touches like bells or harp. If it could somehow sound like “sparkle,” that would be perfect.

Q7: Great. We’ll play the audio based on your photo now. Please close your eyes and listen.
(Audio plays)

Q8: What’s the first thing you felt after listening?
I got goosebumps. That opening melody felt just like the moment when the concert lights went up — so real. I could even see the fans waving their light sticks. It truly felt like I was back there again.

Q9: Was there a moment that really stood out to you?
Yes, there was a part in the middle with a rhythm that reminded me of Mina’s solo dance. It wasn’t exactly the same, but the tempo felt like it matched her movement. It was unexpected — and really fun to hear.

Q10: How did it feel to recover something you couldn’t fully see — now through sound?
It felt special, and powerful. I used to think I was always “missing” something — but now it’s like the music reintroduced me to that night, in a language I actually understand.

Q11: Do you think music holds a special role in your life?
Definitely. Music isn’t just background for me — it’s support. When my vision is overwhelmed or exhausted, sound helps me stabilize emotionally and regain a sense of space. It’s like my alternative system for experiencing the world.

Q12: If you could archive your memories in sound, what would you include?
This concert, for sure. Also the feeling of walking through the streets of Manchester alone with headphones on for the first time — that sense of freedom. And the kitchen sounds from my grandma’s house in Hong Kong — the old fan, radio, and the clatter of cooking.

Q13: Do you think this kind of photo-to-sound transformation could help others like you?
Yes — not just as a tool, but as a kind of emotional translator. We don’t just want to see things clearly; we want to feel them deeply. This process fills in what our vision leaves out.

Q14: If you could choose another photo to convert next, what would it be?
One I took above the Shibuya Crossing — from up high. It’s chaotic and messy, but so rhythmic. If it could be turned into something like “organized chaos,” with city sounds and layered beats, I’d love that.

Q15: Lastly, what would you say to the young creators behind this project?
Don’t stop. What you’re doing may seem small, but it’s not. Giving memory a sound, and giving perception more ways to exist — that’s a gentle kind of power. The world shouldn’t be designed only for those who can “see clearly.”

Postscript｜When Sight Fails, Sound Remembers
At the end of the interview, Ophelia asked if she could save the audio to her phone — not to share, but to carry with her quietly, like a personal keepsake. For her, that concert didn’t need visual perfection. It was sound that made it real.

The true meaning of this project isn’t just accessibility. It’s about emotional equality. When vision can no longer record everything, music still can. In that world of sound, maybe everyone can find their own rhythm to dance to.