Jon Hopkins launches hallucination inducing installation

Producer Jon Hopkins is creating an interactive installation called “Dreamachine” which is designed to induce hallucinatory visions and the experience of tripping. Dreamachine will use a formula of flashing lights and ambient, atmospheric soundscapes designed by Hopkins to produce the effect of tripping or psychedelic visions for users with their eyes closed. Working with a team of psychology researchers, Hopkins’s soundscape will bring about what researchers are referring to as “stroboscopically induced visual hallucinations.” 

Hopkins has explored the potential of psychedelic therapy in his previous work. His latest album, Music For Psychedelic Therapy, was designed for guided mushroom trips as well as altered states brought about by medically researched uses of ketamine to treat depression and other mental illnesses. Dreamachine is a continuation of Hopkins’s exploration into the possibilities of psychedelic treatment as a form of healing. “The important thing about these practices is the loss of ego and the beginning of shared experience,” explained Hopkins when speaking to The Guardian. 

The installation is the product of collaboration between neuroscientists, philosophers, and trance music makers. “These are alternatives to our problem-solving, scientific consciousness of reality,” Hopkins further elaborated. “Dreamachine is a powerful new kind of immersive experience exploring the limitless potential of the human mind.”

The installation is designed by award winning architecture firm, Assemble. Users are invited to enter the ‘machine,’ lay down, and close their eyes before the experience begins. 

Dreamachine is set to tour the UK this spring. You can find out more information on how to participate here.