Frequently Asked
Questions

The Dreamachine is a seated, multisensory immersive experience with music and light, designed to be enjoyed with your eyes closed. Learn more.

Studio Dreamachine has been designed to feel like a campfire: it is more intimate than the full Dreamachine experience, hosting up to 12 people at a time. Just like the Dreamachine, the Studio integrates space for individual and shared reflection. It features the same light sequence and score, but is hosted in a smaller space, so it does not include full spatial sound. Some sessions use headphones – and you can choose which experience you would like to visit at the time of your booking.

You can find out where the full scale Dreamachine experience will be touring next by signing up to our mailing list.

For this pilot phase, we will be trialling the experience with both headphones and speakers. For both versions, the experience features the same light sequence and score, but as it is hosted in a smaller studio space, it does not include full spatial sound.

Shows before 6:30pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays will use headphones, and all other shows will operate with speakers.

The experience will be open 6 days a week, from 7.30am – 9.00pm, from July until the end of September, so you can find a day and a time that works for you.

Tickets will be released in three waves for July, August and September. Tickets will go on sale for August in mid July, and tickets for September will be released in mid-August.

Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to know when tickets are released.

Last summer, many of our audience asked for the Dreamachine to be available permanently, as they found it offered multiple benefits to their mental health and wellbeing. Like a secular temple, the experience provided a rare space for shared reflection – a safe place for audiences to reconnect with themselves, and each other, in new and surprising ways.

Responding to this feedback, Studio Dreamachine has been created to trial an intimate version of the experience that is more accessible and easier to integrate into everyday life – as part of your lunch break, on your way to work, or as a social occasion with friends and family.

Our vision is to provide new ways to improve the wellbeing of all those who visit us. There is increasing social discussion around the lessons that meditation, non-ordinary states of consciousness and peak experiences can teach us. We have designed Studio Dreamachine to appeal to those who may not think such experiences are readily available to them, as a safe and accessible entry point to a much deeper set of philosophical questions.

Not for profit, we’ve kept the prices as low as we can to ensure as many people can attend as possible. We will be working with local Hackney residents and community groups to provide access to the experience for those who may benefit most.

Studio Dreamachine is non-profit, and Collective Act, also non-profit, receives no income, subsidy, or public funding. During our 2022 tour, we were able to offer tickets to Dreamachine for free as part of the UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK programme.

We’ve kept the prices for Studio Dreamachine as low as we can to ensure as many people as possible can access the experience. Charging for tickets will help us to provide subsidised and free tickets to community groups and those on low income in the borough, and beyond. The price of tickets does not cover our full costs for running the experience.

We will be working with local Hackney residents, community groups and social care services to provide access to the experience to those who may benefit most: for social connection, creative practice, self reflection or relaxation.

We want Studio Dreamachine to be accessible to as many people as possible.

If you are on a low income, have additional needs or disabilities, or are over 60, you can book a Low Income ticket. Our Low Income tickets work on trust, so we won’t ask you to show us evidence of this.

Please only book a Low Income ticket if you cannot afford a full price General Admission ticket, as you will be taking the opportunity to visit away from somebody it may really benefit.

Companion tickets are for those with mobility issues, such as Wheelchair users, who require the assistance of a friend or helper in order to attend the experience. If you require assistance, please book a General Admission or Wheelchair ticket for yourself and a separate Companion ticket for the person accompanying you.

Dreamachine provides a rare opportunity for reflection, exchange and connection – a safe place for group members to reconnect with themselves, and each other, in new and surprising ways.

We’ve already worked with over 3,000 local residents and community groups to develop the experience over the last 2 years, with participants ranging from 18 to 93 years old – and there is still so much more we can do. During this pilot phase, our aim is to listen and to learn about how we can continue to deepen the social impact of Dreamachine.

We are therefore keen to support local resident and community groups to attend Dreamachine, especially individuals who may ordinarily experience multiple challenges to participation. If you are part of a local community or resident group, or if you work in social care or health and wellbeing and think the experience could benefit you or your group, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you. We can organise closed group sessions, or support your individual members to book at a time that suits them.  

You can read more about our approach to access and inclusion.

If you support our vision and would like to help us shape the next phase of our journey, please use this form to get in touch, or leave us feedback.

We’d love to hear from you.

Dreamachine will be returning to the UK in late 2023. From 2024, we will begin to tour the experience internationally, having attracted interest from over 40 cities, in 20 countries, across 6 continents – and counting. If you would like Dreamachine to visit your city, please get in touch.

You can visit Studio Dreamachine in Hackney, London. Studio Dreamachine is our first journey into offering the acclaimed immersive experience as part of everyday life – a new community asset, integrated deeply into the local area. Our vision is to provide new ways to improve wellbeing and the lives of all those who visit us.

The large-scale Dreamachine experience which toured in 2022 is now closed. It will return to the UK and also tour internationally shortly. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to find out about future Dreamachine events.

You can still take part in the Perception Census and Schools Programme for other ways to get involved in our programme.

From 2023, we will begin to tour the experience internationally, having attracted interest from 33 cities, in 20 countries, across 6 continents – and counting. If you would like Dreamachine to visit your city, or would like to help us shape the next phase of our journey, please get in touch here.

If you have queries about the Dreamachine programme, please contact dreamachine@collectiveact.co.uk

Under 18s are not permitted to enter the Dreamachine immersive experience.

There is a public courtyard outside the Studio Dreamachine experience where under 18s may wait – depending on their age, you will need to make your own arrangements for them to be appropriately supervised.   and there is no alternative provision on site or any waiting area at the venues.

If you cannot attend or are under 18, please see the Schools Programme and Discover sections of our website for more information on other ways you can get involved in our programme.

The pre-booking form contains information about medical conditions or sensitivities that may be relevant to your participation in the High Sensory Dreamachine experience.

The High Sensory Dreamachine experience uses fast flashing bright lights, known as strobe lighting, and loud music. Significant periods of fast flashing bright lights and/or the combination of both fast flashing light and loud music may in rare cases cause adverse reactions, including seizures, if you have existing sensitivities that may be triggered by these effects.

Entry to the High Sensory Dreamachine experience is only permitted if you have completed the pre-booking form in advance of your visit. If you are in doubt about whether you should participate, consider booking for the Deep Listening experience.

If you have any technical issues completing the form, please contact: dreamachine@collectiveact.co.uk

Please note that we cannot provide any medical advice. If you have any questions around your personal circumstances or medical history, please consult your GP.

The rich inner journeys created by the High Sensory Dreamachine experience are linked to something known as ‘entrainment’ – gentle changes to brain activity created by synchronisation to flickering light, which affects activity in the visual areas of the brain. The frequency of the light provides a ‘beat’ for the rhythms of the brain, similar to the ‘alpha’ rhythm – a brain state normally associated with relaxation. This discovery was first made by the pioneering British neuroscientist Dr Grey Walter in the 1950s.

The question of exactly why flickering light gives rise to such vivid experiences is still unanswered. Our scientific team at the Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, have been investigating this mystery for over a decade and exploring what it might reveal about the nature of consciousness. For a deeper dive into the subjects behind the Dreamachine, visit our Discover page.

The High Sensory Dreamachine experience contains a significant amount of fast flashing bright light, known as strobe lighting, and loud music. Advice from expert consultants indicates that these effects used could have the potential to trigger a seizure for some people with epilepsy, particularly photosensitive epilepsy. Most people who develop photosensitive epilepsy are diagnosed by their late teens. For under 18s there is a higher risk of undiagnosed photosensitivity, which may lead to an adverse reaction. Therefore, to protect the wellbeing of our visitors and our staff, we can only admit adults aged 18 and over.

Both the High Sensory Dreamachine experience and the Deep Listening experience are accessible to blind or partially sighted people. Audio Description assistance can be provided. For more information, please visit our Access page.

The Dreamachine experience has been designed for audiences aged 18 and over.

The High Sensory Dreamachine experience contains a significant amount of fast flashing bright light, known as strobe lighting, and loud music. Advice from expert consultants indicates that these effects used could have the potential to trigger a seizure in some people with epilepsy, particularly photosensitive epilepsy. Most people who develop photosensitive epilepsy are diagnosed by their late teens. For under 18s there is a higher risk of undiagnosed photosensitivity, which may lead to an adverse reaction.

Due to the running schedule of the experience, and the fact we are running Deep Listening and High Sensory experiences concurrently, it is not possible for us to operate a flexible age limit and manage the necessary safeguarding of this across the experience. Therefore, to protect the wellbeing of our visitors and our staff, we can only admit adults aged 18 and over.

Epilepsy is a relatively common condition that affects the brain. Over 600,000 people in the UK have epilepsy. That’s about one in every 100 people. There are around 60 million people with epilepsy in the world. Up to 3% of people with epilepsy can have seizures that are triggered, particularly for under 18s, by flashing lights (called photosensitive epilepsy).

There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding epilepsy and photosensitive epilepsy, and the condition is still an active and ongoing area of research. Most people with epilepsy do not have seizures triggered by flashing lights, but advice from expert consultants indicates that the combination of effects used in the High Sensory Dreamachine experience could have the potential to trigger a seizure for some people with epilepsy, and importantly, that the risk of an adverse reaction is increased if you have epilepsy. To protect the wellbeing of our visitors and our staff, we were only able to admit adults who do not have epilepsy or any known sensitivity to flashing lights, loud sounds or high sensory environments.

We continue to consult with epilepsy advisors, including specialists from UCL and Stanford University Medical Center, to design the Dreamachine experience. As the project is one of the first times an experience of this nature has been realised on this scale, we take all necessary precautions to support our visitors and our staff. Dreamachine provides an opportunity for further research and discussion around epilepsy, and if you would like to contact us to discuss this, please get in touch.

We have designed two additional experiences to make the Dreamachine as accessible as possible, and to ensure those with epilepsy can take part and enjoy the experience. The Deep Listening Dreamachine experience is an immersive 360 degree surround sound audio experience, with a gentle lightscape that does not contain fast flashing lights. It has been designed and developed to ensure that Dreamachine is as accessible as possible to those who may have sensitivities to strobe lighting or high sensory environments. The Deep Listening Dreamachine experience has been designed and developed by the same creative team, and with the same rigour and artistic integrity as the High Sensory Dreamachine experience.

All Dreamachine experiences are also available as a Relaxed experience. This means a relaxed attitude to noise and movement, where you can freely enter and exit the live experience when needed. This is suitable for anyone who would benefit from a more informal setting.

Dreamachine has been developed with extensive focus group research to ensure it is as inclusive and accessible as possible, including for wheelchair users, those who use mobility aids, blind and partially sighted people, and deaf and hard of hearing people, with staff on site available to guide the experience.

During our research and development, we have conducted extensive focus group research with blind and partially sighted groups, d/Deaf and hard of hearing people, those with physical and sensory access requirements and with relevant expert advisors. This research has informed both the design of our spaces and the experience itself, and has also led to the development of the Deep Listening Dreamachine experience to ensure Dreamachine is accessible to anyone who may have sensitivities to strobe lighting or high sensory environments. The Deep Listening Dreamachine experience has been designed and developed by the same creative team, and with the same rigour and artistic integrity as the High Sensory Dreamachine experience. For more information about both experiences, please visit our Immersive Experience page.

There is no sensitive content to be aware of.

We have considered a range of sensory needs in the design of the experience. For more information, please view our Access page.

We offer a British Sign Language (BSL)-interpreted video to accompany all Dreamachine experiences. For more information, please view our Access page.

We welcome guide and assistance dogs to the Dreamachine to ensure access for visitors who would not otherwise be able to attend and participate in the experience. For more information, please view our Access page.

Photography and filming is not permitted inside the Dreamachine experience.

Please arrive at the venue at least ten minutes early to allow ample time to have your documents checked before entering the experience.

As this is a timed experience, late comers cannot be admitted. If you have not checked in by the start of the scheduled session time, your ticket will be released to the walk-up queue. 

Sometimes visitors will need to queue while waiting for the experience to begin. If queuing is not accessible for you, please speak to a member of staff on arrival and we can make alternative arrangements with you.

Shoes cannot be worn within the experience, so you’ll be asked to remove and store your shoes in the lockers provided before you enter. Please wear or bring socks with you.

If you are not able to remove your shoes for Access reasons, disposable shoe covers will be provided. We recommend wearing comfortable clothing. You’ll be sitting still for much of the experience, so we advise bringing a jumper to ensure you’re warm enough.

Please arrive at least 10 minutes before your session time. When you arrive at the venue, you will need to show your ticket to the front of house staff to enter. If you are attending the High Sensory Dreamachine experience, you will also need to show proof you have completed a pre-booking form alongside personal identification. If you are aged 18-25 you must be able to provide photographic ID as proof of age. If you are over 25 you will only need to show proof of your name.

Yes, you can come if you don’t have a ticket in advance and join our walk-up queue. If ticket bookers do not show up for the start time of their session, their tickets will be released on a first-come-first-served basis to people who have joined our walk-up queue.

You can see if there are tickets available for the Studio Dreamachine on the ticket booking page.

At each venue there will be lockers provided for you to store your shoes and belongings before you enter the experience. Please note, we cannot provide space for large items, such as suitcases, that won’t fit in a locker, so we advise that you bring minimal personal belongings with you.

Lockers at Studio Dreamachine are 380mm (W) x 330mm (H) x 340mm (D).

If you leave the live experience at any time, it won’t be possible to re-enter. Toilet facilities and water will be available inside the venue.

Food and drink is not permitted in the live immersive Dreamachine experience, but water is available in the Reflection Space afterwards.

Due to the nature of the experience, we ask that you leave your mobile phone in the lockers provided. If you need to keep your phone on you for emergency reasons, the front of house staff will provide you with a signal blocking phone bag so that you can keep it with you. However, please note that you won’t be able to use it while in the Dreamachine experience. If you need to use your phone at any time, the front of house staff will be able to show you where you can do so. If you need to use your phone for Access reasons, just let one of our front of house staff know.

The effects used in the Dreamachine experience cannot cause epilepsy. They can only trigger existing sensitivities, so all participants must complete a pre-booking form containing information about medical conditions or sensitivities that may be relevant to your participation, prior to attending the experience. It is possible that you may have some relevant sensitivities that you do not know about. If you are in doubt about whether you should participate, consider booking for the Deep Listening experience.

If you experience a seizure as a result of sensitivities that were pre-existing, but previously unknown to you, this may have wider implications for you. If you drive, one immediate effect of having a seizure is that you may have to stop driving for a certain period – this could be between 3 – 12 months. This is true for all types of seizures, and whether you have a diagnosis of epilepsy or not. This may have an impact on your life, or your ability to work/travel, particularly if you are considering joining the Armed Forces, or for anyone working as a commercial pilot or train driver. Some activities may be restricted for your safety while the reason for the seizure is assessed and diagnosed. For further information on the implications of having a seizure and living with epilepsy, we suggest you refer to the following sources:

NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/

Drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited from the Dreamachine experience. To ensure you have the best experience possible do not consume drugs or alcohol in the 24 hours before your session. If we suspect you are under the influence of either when you arrive, you will not be admitted for your own safety.

Any adult aged 18 and over can take part in the Dreamachine experience.

The High Sensory Dreamachine experience uses fast flashing bright lights, known as strobe lighting, and loud music, and is not suitable for those who are pregnant or some people with epilepsy or other potential sensitivities to fast flashing lights and loud sounds. Before booking tickets, please complete our pre-booking form.

If you have any of these sensitivities we suggest you consider booking a Deep Listening experience, which is an immersive 360 degree surround sound audio experience with a gentle lightscape that does not contain fast flashing lights. If you are sensitive to loud music, ear defenders can be provided for both experiences.

The experience has been designed to be accessible to as many people as possible, including wheelchair users, those who use mobility aids, blind and partially sighted people, and d/Deaf and hard of hearing people, with staff on site available to guide your experience.

If you would benefit from a relaxed environment, alternative relaxed sessions are available. Please see our Access page for details of how to book.

Studio Dreamachine lasts one hour, including time for reflection with yourself and your group.

The Perception Census is a new scientific study exploring the unique ways we each experience the world around us. It is the first major citizen science project investigating perceptual diversity, and it is led by world-leading academics Professor of Neuroscience Anil Seth from the University of Sussex and Professor of Philosophy Fiona Macpherson from the University of Glasgow.

This ground-breaking study is part of the acclaimed Dreamachine programme. The study is made up of games, illusions and brain teasers that explore how you perceive sound and time, how your senses work together, how your imagination works, and much more.

By completing the study, you will learn about your own powers of perception and help our team of scientists and philosophers uncover why, and how, we all experience the world in our own unique ways.

The study is led by world-leading academics Professor of Neuroscience Anil Seth from the University of Sussex and Professor of Philosophy Fiona Macpherson from the University of Glasgow. It is overseen by Professor Anil Seth’s team at the Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex (for the full team, click here).

It is produced and managed by Collective Act as part of the acclaimed Dreamachine programme. Dreamachine includes an immersive live experience that toured the UK this summer and will soon be presented internationally, a UK-wide schools programme reaching millions of young people aged 7-13, and the Perception Census.

The Perception Census has received ethical approval from the University of Sussex (project reference number is ER/ANILS/5). For more information on this approval, please contact: perceptioncensus@sussex.ac.uk.

The Perception Census is a new citizen-science study exploring the unique ways we each experience the world around us. Anyone over the age of 18 can take part, anywhere in the world. Its goal is to uncover the fascinating but invisible ways that our minds are each unique – addressing questions that have baffled, and divided, philosophers and scientists for centuries. It is a unique exercise in citizen-science and aims to be the largest study into perceptual diversity ever undertaken.

Developed by a team that includes scientists, philosophers and artists, The Perception Census consists of engaging, fun, easy and quick-to-complete online experiments and interactive illusions. As well as contributing valuable data, participants can learn about their own powers of perception and how they relate to others. Importantly, The Perception Census goes beyond visual perception, exploring sound and music, emotions and how we experience the passing of time – among many other things.

Bringing to light our inner diversity could be as transformational for society as recognition of our externally visible diversity has been. Unlike the concept of neurodivergence, which tends to be reserved for specific conditions, perceptual diversity applies to all of us. There is no single way of perceiving the world against which others can be compared, and found wanting. With your help, the results could transform our understanding of how and why we each experience the world in our own unique way.

You can read more about the research ambitions of the programme from Professor Anil Seth’s recent article in the Guardian.

The Perception Census is produced and managed by Collective Act as part of the acclaimed Dreamachine programme. Dreamachine also includes an immersive live experience based on stroboscopic light that toured the UK this summer and will soon be presented internationally, and a UK-wide schools programme reaching millions of young people aged 7-13 years.

As a programme, Dreamachine aims to explore the potential of the human mind and the unique ways we each experience the world. The Dreamachine immersive experience unfolds behind your closed eyes, created by the power of your own brain and completely personal to you. After the experience, you are invited to reflect, share and visualise what you saw, how you felt and what it meant to you. The incredible stories from our audiences this year can be found in our online library of reflections.

As well as being beautiful acts of creativity, these reflections are also valuable research material. They help map, and make visible, the invisible – the diversity of patterns, colours, shapes and emotions that people experience from the same sequence of just white light. Browsing through the library, you will see many similarities, as well as many differences – revealing what connects us all, as well as what makes us unique.

This feedback, together with the findings and insights from The Perception Census, will help our research team paint a fascinating portrait of human consciousness –  exploring why certain people have certain experiences in the Dreamachine, and how this may relate to other aspects of their perception. No such study has been undertaken on this scale, and findings from the programme will provide a unique body of scientific and philosophical research that will be valuable to the fields of neuroscience, philosophy, anthropology and psychology for years to come.

A unique feature of The Perception Census is that it explores many different aspects of how we experience the world. There are 10 different sections, each focusing on a different aspect of perception. Everyone is invited to complete the Fundamentals of Perception section, which provides a broad overview of many forms of perception including vision, sound, and time. The remaining sections dig deeper into these different aspects, covering topics such as music, emotion, body and beliefs, and much more. A good example of the kind of perceptual differences we are interested in is synaesthesia. People with synaesthesia experience what’s commonly described as a ‘mixing of the senses’: tastes may have shapes, or written text may evoke experiences of vivid colours. We’ll be looking at the prevalence of different types of synaesthesia, and the relationships between synaesthesia and other aspects of perception.

Altogether, the results from the Census will allow us to understand how people vary in many different ways of experiencing the world. We will also use the data to identify common factors that may underlie these variations: for example, it might be that the degree to which peoples’ expectations shape their perception could explain many aspects of how they experience the world. The Perception Census will provide a unique resource for asking – and answering – important philosophical and scientific questions like this – which explore some of the most fundamental aspects of our lived human experience.

By inviting as many people as possible to take part, The Perception Census aims to explore the differences in perception that likely exist among all of us. This exploration of ‘perceptual diversity’ provides a different emphasis from the concept of ‘neurodiversity’, which has tended to be reserved for specific ‘neurodivergent’ conditions, such as autism, or ADHD. Results from the Perception Census will allow us to better understand how neurodivergent conditions relate to the variations in perception that apply to all of us.

The Perception Census was created by a unique collaboration of scientists, philosophers, engineers, and developers. It is led by neuroscientist Professor Anil Seth (University of Sussex) and philosopher Professor Fiona Macpherson (University of Glasgow). They work with the core science team of Dr. Reny Baykova, Dr. David Schwartzman, Dr. James Alvarez, and Mr Trevor Hewitt (all University of Sussex), supported by engineers and developers from Collective Act Ltd. The science team are also collaborating with a wide international network of researchers to develop specific components of the census. For full details of the team behind The Perception Census, click here.

Early results from the Perception Census will be released by the end of 2022. The Perception Census will be open into 2023, and as a major piece of research, the findings will be assessed over a 3-year period between 2023 and 2025. With support from Leverhulme Trust, the University of Sussex and the University of Glasgow, two dedicated PhD students will analyse the data sets generated by the Dreamachine Programme, conducting new studies to assess and corroborate their findings – leading into a major body of work on the nature of perception. We are continuing to seek funding and investment in the research outcomes from all Dreamachine research strands to support this 3-year programme to analyse and publish our findings. The findings from the study will provide a unique body of scientific and philosophical research that will be valuable for years to come.

If you are an academic or researcher interested in collaborating with our team on the research findings and their potential applications – please contact:  perceptioncensus@sussex.ac.uk

Sign-up and complete The Perception Census from your desktop or laptop computer (The Perception Census will not work on tablets or mobile phones). If you sign-up from your mobile phone you can return later to take part from a computer. The Perception Census is divided into 10 sections which each explore different topics, such as colour, sound and music, and time perception. You can choose which sections you would like to complete, and can complete as much or as little as you’d like. You will have your own user account so that you can log back in at any time.

The first section is the Fundamentals of Perception. Once completed, you will unlock a further nine sections. Complete all the sections and you will receive a completion certificate from the University of Sussex.

With your help, this will be the largest study of its kind and, if enough people take part, the results could transform our understanding of how and why we each experience the world differently. So far, participants in over 100 countries have contributed, including the USA and Canada, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, South Africa and many countries across Europe – on every continent except Antarctica!

The Fundamentals of Perception is the core element of the Census, and takes around 20 minutes to complete. Once you have completed this, you will unlock a further nine sections covering a range of topics, from time, to music, to imagination. Each section ranges in length from 15 to 30 minutes.

You can complete as many, or as few, sections as you like. The more you complete, the more valuable your answers will be to our research team. There’s no need to do everything in one sitting, you will have your own user account that you can log into at any time, and be able to track your own progress.

After you finish each section, we will reveal a little bit about the science behind the activity, what we are hoping to learn from your participation, and for some of the tasks, how your answers compare and contrast to others.

You need to be aged 18 or over, and we’ll ask you to provide some demographic information in order to create a user account.

You will need to have access to a desktop or laptop computer. If you choose to take part in audio based tasks your device will need to have audio. We recommend that you complete The Perception Census in a dark or dimly lit room so that you can see the materials as clearly as possible.

A lot of the activities include audio or video. If you are blind or visually impaired, or if you are deaf or have hearing loss you will be able to specify this when setting up your user account. This will ensure you are provided with activities that are accessible to you.

At every moment our senses are taking in information from the world around us. Our brains then make sense of that information to give us a picture of how the world looks, sounds and feels. Perception is the process by which the brain interprets sensory information to create this picture. Because we all have different brains, we are all likely to perceive the world in different ways.

By taking part in The Perception Census, you will learn about your own powers of perception, and help our team of scientists and philosophers uncover why, and how, we all experience the world in our own unique ways. Through the tasks and questions we explore, you’ll discover how your brain creates an experience that is unique to every one of us.

After you finish each section, we will reveal a little bit about the science behind the activity, how your answers compare to others and what we are hoping to learn from your participation.

After you finish each section, we will reveal a little bit about the science behind the activity, what we are hoping to learn from your participation, and for some of the tasks, how your answers compare and contrast to others.

If you have a question about any aspect of The Perception Census or the topics we are exploring, you can pose the question directly to our team of researchers from the University of Sussex and University of Glasgow on the ‘Ask the Experts’ forum. You can also see questions from other people, and vote for your favourites. The Ask the Experts forum can be found on your Perception Census dashboard once you’ve signed up to take part.

If you have a question you would like to ask before taking part, please contact: perceptioncensus@sussex.ac.uk

If you would like to learn more about any of the topics The Perception Census explores, we recommend you browse our range of articles, books, podcasts and interviews on the Discover section of the Dreamachine website.

You can read more about our research team’s work and research interests here:

• Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex
• Anil Seth’s website
• Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience, University of Glasgow

The first section of The Perception Census is the Fundamentals of Perception. Once you have completed this, you will unlock a further nine sections, including sound and music, emotions, and how we experience the passing of time. Complete all the sections and you will receive a completion certificate from the University of Sussex.

If you have completed all the sections but have not received your certificate, please contact: perceptioncensus@sussex.ac.uk.

To design The Perception Census, we worked closely with a range of focus group participants to gather their feedback to ensure the development of the platform catered for a wide audience range. Many of the interactive tasks include audio or video. If you are blind or visually impaired, or if you are deaf or have hearing loss you will be able to specify this when setting up your user account. This will ensure you are provided with tasks that are accessible to you.

If you have a question about the accessibility of the platform, or any feedback that would be useful to help us improve the experience in future, please contact: hello@collectiveact.co.uk.

The Perception Census is currently only designed for desktop or laptop computers. This is due to the activities the Census explores, which have been rigorously designed by our scientific team to ensure that they are consistent across browsers and computer devices, as well as with previous studies exploring similar topics, to allow the results to be compared and contrasted. This consistency is important to ensure the scientific validity of the research findings.

We are currently exploring an adapted tablet based version of the Census, which is likely to be launched in mid 2023. To hear more about this when it is released, please sign up to our mailing list.

If you have a question you would like to ask before taking part, please contact: perceptioncensus@sussex.ac.uk

If you have a question about the topics explored in the Perception Census, you can post your question in the Ask the Experts forum where researchers from the University of Sussex and University of Glasgow will get back to you. You can also see questions from other people and vote for your favourites. The Ask the Experts forum can be found on your Perception Census dashboard once you’ve signed up to take part.

If you have any feedback that would be useful to help us improve the experience, or have experienced any technical challenges in taking part, please contact: hello@collectiveact.co.uk

If you do experience a technical issue completing the Perception Census, it is very useful if you can share screenshots of any error messages or formatting problems, along with any details about your browser and device, so that our technical team can quickly assess and fix the issue.

How will you use my data, and how will it be stored?

Your responses to the questions and tasks in the Census will help us build a map of the different ways we each experience the world through our senses. It will help us see how some traits and experiences relate to others, and by revealing this, will shed new light on the way our brains and bodies interact to build our overall experience of the world.  In any publications of our research findings, all data will be presented in a fully anonymised form .  The Perception Census is at a scale of participation that allows meaningful conclusions and findings to be drawn from the aggregation of anonymised individual responses.

When you sign up, you will be asked to provide your email address so that we can send you a link to your data. This will enable you to visit the Perception Census on repeated occasions, and so that we can contact you in the future. All information collected about you, including demographic information and your responses in the Perception Census will be kept strictly confidential and securely stored by the University of Sussex and handled in accordance with data protection legislation. Your data will remain linked to your email address for a period of 5 years, after which point it will be fully anonymised and retained indefinitely by the University of Sussex. In addition, once the Perception Census is completed your data – in fully anonymised form – will be shared with collaborators at the University of Glasgow and may be uploaded onto the Open Science Framework website.

You are in control of the personal information you share with us. If you have any questions, change your mind about taking part in the Perception Census, or would like to have your data removed please contact: perceptioncensus@sussex.ac.uk

Further information about how the University of Sussex processes personal data, and your data rights, can be found in the University of Sussex’s Privacy Notice.

The Perception Census has received ethical approval from the University of Sussex (project reference number is ER/ANILS/5). For more information on this approval, please contact: perceptioncensus@sussex.ac.uk.

All information collected about you, including demographic information and your responses in The Perception Census will be kept strictly confidential and securely stored by the University of Sussex and handled in accordance with data protection legislation. Your data will remain linked to your email address for a period of 5 years, after which point it will be fully anonymised and retained indefinitely by the University of Sussex. In addition, once The Perception Census is completed, your data – in fully anonymised form – will be shared with collaborators at the University of Glasgow and may be uploaded onto the Open Science Framework website.

No data is being supplied to, or reviewed by, the UK Government, and there are no links between The Perception Census and any official census surveys run by The Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Northern Ireland Statistics Agency (NISRA) or National Records of Scotland. Your data, and the survey findings, are not being used or supplied for marketing, promotion or commercial purposes to any third parties. The purpose of the data collected by The Perception Census is to further the research by the University of Glasgow and the University of Sussex into the philosophy of perception and perceptual diversity, leading to a major scientific survey on the nature of perception. You can read more about their work and their research interest and objectives here:

• Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex.
• Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience, University of Glasgow.

If there is anything that is not clear, or if you would like more information, please email us at perceptioncensus@sussex.ac.uk and we will be happy to answer your query.

The Perception Census has received ethical approval from the University of Sussex (project reference number is ER/ANILS/5). Because The Perception Census is investigating how you experience the world, you may learn things about yourself. However, none of the activities can diagnose clinical conditions.