Dreamachine is an award-winning programme sparking insight, reflection and curiosity in millions of people of all ages. In a unique collaboration, our interdisciplinary collective, including Turner Prize-winning artists Assemble, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Anil Seth and a team of leading artists, technologists, scientists and philosophers, set out to explore and chart our inner worlds.
Conjured entirely by light and music, the colourful world of Dreamachine unfolds behind your closed eyes. Like a campfire, the experience is held in the round, and as you take a seat within the circle, flickering white light and 360-degree spatial sound weave seamlessly together to generate a luminous and technicolour internal world – all created by the power of your own brain and completely unique to you.
We’re investigating the unique ways we experience the world around us, with the public directly contributing to our research. Our landmark citizen science study, The Perception Census, is helping to shape our understanding of the human mind. Shining a light on our inner universes on a scale never before attempted, almost 35,000 people from 133 countries have taken part so far.
Combining science and art, our learning programme features free resources designed to inspire children and young people to creatively explore unique their powers of perception. Developed in partnership with A New Direction, the British Science Association and UNICEF UK, there are 30 accredited lesson plans as well as our interactive children’s survey Life’s Big Questions to explore.
The story behind Dreamachine
