„Had a transcendental storm of colour visions today in the bus going to Marseilles. We ran through a long avenue of trees and I closed my eyes against the setting sun. An overwhelming flood of intensely bright colors exploded behind my eyelids: a multidimensional kaleidoscope whirling out through space. I was swept out of time. I was out in a world of infinite number. The vision stopped abruptly as we left the trees. Was that a vision? What happened to me? (Brion Gysin, December 21, 1958)
After his vison, Gysin tried to reproduce the situation. With the help of William S. Burroughs and Ian Sommerville he created the Dream Machine – a stroboscopic flicker device that produces visual stimuli: A cylinder with slits cut in the sides, placed on a record turntable and rotated at 45 rpm. Light come out from the holes. The Dream Machine is viewed with close eyes. The frequency of the flickers corresponds to alpha brainwaves. The patterns become shapes and symbols behind the closed eyelids, until you are entering a hypnagogic state.
Get the plans of the Dream Machine by Brion Gysin HERE
