Psychedelic Dreamachine

Pulsation devices (such as the Dreamachine) may be dangerous to those affected by photosensitive epilepsy or central nervous system disorders.

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 patterns in supernatural colour exploded behind my eyelids: a multi-dimensional 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?
--From Brion Gysin's journal, dated December 21, 1958

I have made a simple flicker machine; a slotted cardboard cylinder which turns on a gramaphone at 78 rpm with a light bulb inside. You look at it with your eyes shut and the flicker plays over your eyelids. Visions start with a kaleidoscope of colours on a plane in front of the eyes and gradually become more complex and beautiful, breaking like surf on a shore until whole pattersn of colour are pounding to get in. After a while the visions were permanently behind my eyes and I was in the middle of a whole scene with limitless patterns being generated around me. There was an almost unbearable feeling of spatial movement for a while but it was well worth getting through for I found that when it stopped I was high above the earth in a universal blaze of glory. Afterwards I found that my perception of the world around me had increased very notably. All conceptions of being dragged or tired had dropped away...
--Ian Sommerville's letter to Brion Gysin, dated February 15, 1960

Photo of Ian Sommerville and Brion Gysin 1962, courtesy of JPaul23