Living the Dream

Described by Burroughs as “the only man that I’ve ever respected”, Brion Gysin was a wildly inventive writer, artist and sound poet who pioneered the cut-up technique favored by the Beats. In 1961 with Ian Sommerville he created the Dream Machine, a spinning column of light that was intended to affect an audience’s brain activity when viewed with closed eyes. Nick Sheehan’s latest film FlickER tells the story of the device and features a fully functional, home-made version of it. Interviews with Gysin’s friends and collaborators include Iggy Pop, John Giorno and Genesis P Orrige.