In 1977 I was awarded a patent for a device that induces visual hallucinations. While witnessing the recent U.S. Capitol Building riots I was reminded of that invention and how much the cultural gestalt has shifted.
Even into the early seventies, it was dangerous for a young man to sport a beard in some places. Just as now, the nation was polarized.
Picture that time, and a young beardo standing near a balustrade of the U.S. Capitol Building. He is wearing a mask that is wired to a hand-held box. The man is approached by a capitol policeman. The guard does not seem alarmed, merely curious.
I lower the mask and explain what it does. The officer puts on the mask, closes his eyes, and faces west towards the Washington Monument, where the sun is low in the sky. It is early spring. The air is cool and clear. The sun is an intense, almost fluorescent orange, which is critical to the optimal operation of this device.
The beardo carefully turns a knob on the control box. Gradually, through CLOSED EYES, the cop begins to see vibrantly colored, animated, geometric patterns within his visual cortex!
The guard is amazed and praises my invention, wandering off soon with a wave and no admonitions to stop using my machine.
What do you think would happen now, or even a few years ago, if I tried to repeat that experiment at the Capitol Building?
I hope to write more about this invention somewhere on Hive Blog. I also plan to discuss how the use of this hallucination machine has influenced my art.
Article By Robert Wayne Hamilton 3/15/2021
