FLicKeR (2009)

In 1960 Brion Gysin invented the Dream Machine a hypnotic light device with the power to induce hallucinations drugless highs and revolutionize human consciousness It looks simple enough a 100watt light bulb a motor and a rotating cylinder with cutouts Just sit in front of it close your eyes and wait for the visions to come The Dream Machine enthralled mystics and freethinkers everywhere Kurt Cobain had a dream machine and William S Burroughs thought it could be used to storm the citadels of enlightenment With a custommade Dream Machine in tow director Nik Sheehan takes us on a journey into the life of Brion Gysin his art his complex ideas and his friendships with some of the most eccentric countercultural icons Taking the Dream Machine as the basis of its explorations FLicKeR asks crucial questions about the nature of art and consciousness and imagines a humanity liberated to explore its creativity in complete freedom