Dreamachine Immersive Experience Transforms Festival of Brexit into Psychedelic Art Installation

Dreamachine, an immersive art installation exploring consciousness through flickering light, is currently on view at Woolwich Public Market in London until July 24. The project originated from Brion Gysin's 1959 invention that used stroboscopic effects to induce visual hallucinations. Visitors recline in a circular room facing a central light source, experiencing individually constructed patterns and colors while listening to music composed by Jon Hopkins. Directed by Jennifer Crook, the project involves neuroscientists, artists, and designers including architectural collective Assemble. Originally part of the controversial 'Festival of Brexit' now rebranded as UNBOXED, Dreamachine offers a collective psychedelic experience without drugs. After London, it will travel to Temple of Peace in Cardiff until June 18, with future stops planned for Edinburgh and Belfast later this year. Staff guide participants through removing shoes and storing belongings before providing eye masks and fleece blankets for the session. The experience generates vivid mental imagery ranging from rainbow lattices to colored planes, described by one visitor as feeling 'like I'd been asleep for a week, in a good way.' Post-experience activities include coloring and quizzes to help process the sensory journey.