DREAMACHINE

    PRINT VERSION        

The Dreamachine was created by Brion Gysin & Ian Sommerville in 1959. Gysin obtained a patent in 1961 and published findings in Olympia, Number 2, January 1962. Their friend, William S. Burroughs helped to promote use of the Dreamachine.

The theory behind the Dreamachine is brainwave entrainment.
The brain’s state is associated with certain frequencies.

 .5 – 4 Delta     – Deep Sleep
 4  – 8 Theta     – Dreaming
 8  – 13 Alpha   – Empty Awareness as in lucid meditation & vacant TV watching
13 – 30 Beta     – Everyday mind
30 – 60            Gamma – High mental activity (hypothetical)

Consistent external stimuli of flashing light can travel through the optic nerve and make the mind match the flicker’s frequency, inducing the associated consciousness.
Hear the dreamachine’s creators’ observations of its perceptual Ordo Ab Chao effect:

"Visions start with a kaleidoscope of colors on a plane in front of the eyes and gradually become more complex and beautiful, breaking like surf on a shore until whole patterns of color are pounding to get in. After awhile the visions were permanently behind my eyelids and I was in the middle of the 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

“You are the artist when you approach a Dreamachine with your eyes closed. What the Dreamachine incites you to see is yours... your own. The brilliant interior visions you so suddenly see whirling around inside your head are produced by your own brain activity. These may not be your first glimpse of these dazzling lights and celestial coloured images. Dreamachines provide them only just as long as you choose to look into them. What you are seeing is perhaps a broader vision than you may have had before of your own incalculable treasure, the "jungian" sort of symbols which we share with all normally constituted humanity.”
- Brion Gysin

“Subjects report dazzling lights of unearthly brilliance and color. ...Elaborate geometric constructions of incredible intricacy build up from multidimensional mosaic into living fireballs like the mandalas of Eastern mysticism or resolve momentarily into apparently individual images and powerfully dramatic scenes like brightly colored dreams.”
&
“In metal booths brain waves wrote the flickering message passed back and forth, over and through shifting grills—“
- William S. Burroughs


DIY ANALOG MECHANICAL DREAMACHINE
Warning: The Dreamachine may produce seizures in epileptics or those with nervous disorders.

SUPPLIES:                  

a record player (78rpm)
a cardboard sheet (black)
a lightbulb on a cord
a way to hang the bulb
Tools to mark (pencil), measure (ruler), cut (utility knife) & fasten (tape & binder clips)

STEPS:

  1. 78 turns in 60 seconds = 1.3 turns a second (Adjust calculations for different rpm – Rpm ÷ 60 = rps)
  2. Holes x 1.3 seconds = Flashes per second (4=5.2 Hz, 5=6.5, 6=7.8, 7=9.1, 8=10.4, 9=11.7)
  3. Turntable diameter x π = Circumference of turntable/cylinder = Needed length for cardboard + 6 inches.
  4. Measure off 3 inches from the edge of the cardboard on all sides. See diagram.
  5. Divide remaining space into rows of equal height (generally 4 – 6).
  6. On the left and right borders stencil a hole on every row. Once the cylinder is rolled these will overlap.
  7. Measure the length from the left and right borders. That length divided by the number of holes equals the distance to measure between their spacing. From the center of the left hole, mark out the center of the holes until you reach the right hole. (Example– 30 inch length  ÷  7 = a hole centered every 4.28 inches)
    1. When deciding the number of holes per row, note that generally only some rows can be comfortably viewed depending on height, chair, table, etc.
    2. Suggestion - the most useful rows might be a low alpha (7 or 8 holes) and a middle theta (5 holes).
    3. Holes in all rows will make a more aesthetic device. Holes only in practical rows is easier.
    4. The original Dreamachine had a nice ornate pattern, but is not useful for all rows have 9 holes.
  8. Stencil holes for each row, centered on your mark. To use the Yod (I) shape of the original pattern, see the example below.

  9. Cut out the holes.
  10. Roll the sheet into a cylinder to tightly fit the turntable. Use binder clips to fasten as you measure. Tape.
    1. The cylinder can either snuggly hug the rubber mat or have attached tabs you fold beneath the mat, or a circular base can be built to put inside the cylinder to replace the mat.
  11. Hang the bulb into the middle of the cylinder.
    1. You can hang the bulb from the ceiling, an overhanging arm, or you can build a structure that fits your particular record player, constructed like the one in the picture above or diagram below, with a slot cut in the top that the light’s cord snugly fits into.
  12. Optional: Make a cardboard screen to restrict light when placed before the Dreamachine. See diagram.
  13. Set up: Adjust bulb height. Turn on light. Darken room. Turn on record player. Turn off disruptions.
  14. Use: Sit Close, Close eyes, Tune In, Turn In, Get Out.