Between an Object and a Memory (2011)
Between an Object and a Memory is a project based on Brion Gysin's Dreamachine.
The project was conceived in Traverse City, Michigan and its surrounding areas in the Summer 2011. Using the assembly instructions as described on 10111's web page, I constructed a Dreamachine and brought the equipment to my site location in Northern Michigan, which was selected for its significance to my familial and childhood experiences.
"The Dreamachine simply consists of a cylinder with holes cut into its sides and placed on a turntable. A lightbulb is suspended in the center of the spinning cylinder, and the rotation lets the light pass through the holes at a constant frequency. . . . the flickering light stimulates the optical nerve and alters the brain's electrical oscillations, producing vivid visions of very bright moving and morphing colours in geometrical patterns to appear 'projected' behind the eyelids, covering completely the field of vision. . . . To interrupt the experience, simply open the eyes." (www.10111.org)
A unique piece of equipment, the Dreamachine is one of the only art objects to be viewed with the eyes closed. This paradox proved to be an interesting challenge in photography.
The Dreamachine was photographed at different exposure speeds, e.g. 1 second, 2 seconds, 4 seconds at various revolutions per minute (rpm) on its turntable, e.g. 16, 33, 45, 78.
Then, the sheet film was exposed again in familiar landscape settings in the area using inverse exposure settings for each sheet of film. For example, a 1 second exposure with the Dreamachine would receive a 4 second exposure in the landscape, and the image titles record the process.
The final image would be a combination of settings that directly opposed one another, thereby effectively counterbalancing the exposure. The Dreamachine's revolutions and the landscape would be inscribed on the film in equal weight. With closed eyes, the experience of visually describing the effects of the Dreamachine, one that is fleeting and dreamlike, would be aptly captured in the double exposure of the negative, which mirrors the experience of trying to describe an earlier memory or to recall an adolescent event in detail.
The project was conceived in Traverse City, Michigan and its surrounding areas in the Summer 2011. Using the assembly instructions as described on 10111's web page, I constructed a Dreamachine and brought the equipment to my site location in Northern Michigan, which was selected for its significance to my familial and childhood experiences.
"The Dreamachine simply consists of a cylinder with holes cut into its sides and placed on a turntable. A lightbulb is suspended in the center of the spinning cylinder, and the rotation lets the light pass through the holes at a constant frequency. . . . the flickering light stimulates the optical nerve and alters the brain's electrical oscillations, producing vivid visions of very bright moving and morphing colours in geometrical patterns to appear 'projected' behind the eyelids, covering completely the field of vision. . . . To interrupt the experience, simply open the eyes." (www.10111.org)
A unique piece of equipment, the Dreamachine is one of the only art objects to be viewed with the eyes closed. This paradox proved to be an interesting challenge in photography.
The Dreamachine was photographed at different exposure speeds, e.g. 1 second, 2 seconds, 4 seconds at various revolutions per minute (rpm) on its turntable, e.g. 16, 33, 45, 78.
Then, the sheet film was exposed again in familiar landscape settings in the area using inverse exposure settings for each sheet of film. For example, a 1 second exposure with the Dreamachine would receive a 4 second exposure in the landscape, and the image titles record the process.
The final image would be a combination of settings that directly opposed one another, thereby effectively counterbalancing the exposure. The Dreamachine's revolutions and the landscape would be inscribed on the film in equal weight. With closed eyes, the experience of visually describing the effects of the Dreamachine, one that is fleeting and dreamlike, would be aptly captured in the double exposure of the negative, which mirrors the experience of trying to describe an earlier memory or to recall an adolescent event in detail.
