Dreammachine (in collaboration with Ian Sommerville) 1962

This Dreammachine, made by Brion Gysin with Ian Sommerville, probably in the 60s, it’s not just an object, it's an experience. The artists are playing with light and perception and how that affects consciousness. It’s a cylinder with patterned cutouts, spun around a lightbulb, creating stroboscopic effects, all about the process of seeing, not just what you see, and how it alters your brain state. Up close, you see how the light spills through these gaps, catching on the inside of the cylinder. The texture of the metal catches the light, creating a kind of optical shimmer. It looks handmade, imperfect, which adds to the human element of what is otherwise quite a technological intervention. I'm reminded of the Light and Space artists like James Turrell, who was similarly interested in the relationship between light, perception, and consciousness. It's an invitation to zone out and rethink what art can do and be.