All In The Mind presents ... Sum of All PartsAll In The Mind presents ... Sum of All Parts
All In The Mind
Fans of All In The Mind might enjoy this new podcast from the ABC! Sum of All Parts tells extraordinary stories from the world of numbers. Like this story, about a young man with an unusual type of epilepsy, where he hears what are called ‘musical auras’ whenever he has a seizure.
26:12•26 Nov 2017
The Sound of a Seizure: Music, Numbers and Brant’s Epilepsy
Episode Overview
- Brant experiences his seizures as unique musical auras that warp everyday sounds into complex rhythms and melodies.
- Professor Ingrid Sheffer explains how stress and tiredness can make small auras progress into full seizures, and why musical auras are extremely rare.
- EEG recordings of Brant’s seizures capture amplitude, frequency and synchrony of brain activity, forming the basis of the episode’s music.
- Data visualisation artist Brian Fu uses algorithmic composition to transform Brant’s seizure data into a song while staying faithful to the underlying numbers.
- Sampling vocals from Imogen Heap and other musical elements, Brian aims to create empathy and a visceral connection between the listener and Brant’s brain activity.
“"It's like sitting in a car without having any brakes and having the accelerator tied down, but you've got the hands on the steering wheel."”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against unusual brain conditions? This bonus instalment from All In The Mind hands centre stage to Sum of All Parts, where numbers, music, and epilepsy collide in a way you probably haven’t heard before. You’ll follow the story of Brant Guishard, a young man whose seizures arrive as "the music" – vivid, shifting soundscapes no one else can hear.
He explains how ordinary noises twist into rhythm and melody, describing it as "like sitting in a car without having any brakes and having the accelerator tied down, but you've got the hands on the steering wheel." At first the experience was pleasant, but as his epilepsy intensified in adolescence, the musical auras grew frequent, intense, and frightening.
Neurologist Professor Ingrid Sheffer adds clinical context, talking through why musical auras are so rare and how stress and tiredness can turn small auras into full seizures. Her perspective keeps the story grounded in real-world brain science while never losing sight of Brant as a person, not just a case. Then the numbers take over. Producer Joel Werner introduces data visualisation artist and "data-driven DJ" Brian Fu, who turns Brant’s EEG seizure recordings into a full song.
Brian explains how he uses amplitude, frequency and synchrony to control volume, pitch and percussion, and why he sampled Imogen Heap’s "Hide and Seek" to create a vocal soundscape that might help listeners feel a closer connection to Brant’s experience. The episode blends personal testimony, neurology, and experimental music into a strange but compelling mix. You’ll come away with a fresh sense of how brain activity, emotion, and sound can intersect – and how numbers can carry very human stories.
If you’re curious how data, art, and lived experience all play a part in understanding the mind, this one’s worth your time.
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