Hot Docs 2008

Multimedia artist, mystic, gay pop-culture icon and sometime Canadian Brion Gysin wanted to liberate humanity by freeing our minds. To subvert patterns of thought, he built the Dream Machine, a hypnotic flickering light source with the power to trigger the brain's alpha waves, evoking a dream state. Gysin was the secret alchemist of the Beat Generation, forever hidden in the shadow of his best friend, artistic collaborator and soul mate, William S. Burroughs. With the Dream Machine, they wanted to "storm the citadels of enlightenment." Filmmaker Nik Sheehan takes us on a magical ride through Gysin's fascinating life. With a custom-made dream machine in tow, Sheehan interviews Gysin's friends and pop-culture icons such as Marianne Faithfull, Genesis P-Orridge, Iggy Pop, Kenneth Anger and DJ Spooky. Their insights into the power of the trance-inducing device explore creativity in its purest form and ask crucial questions about the nature of art and consciousness. Note: Caution is advised for people with photosensitive epilepsy or other nervous disorders.
-Gisèle Gordon