There is no such thing as a straight line -------------

The study of psychedelics linked to altered states perception and feeling within dreams will be the main focus of inspiration and research for the Climax series of the book process. I started to consider how and if I usually remember certain climatic stages of my own dreams and truthfully, I tend to remember parts in a staggered formation as appose to the dream being relayed in a logical way. From the research I have gathered from psychological theorists such as Lucian Freud, Hanna Segal and J. Allen Hobson, this appears completely normal. According to Segal,

'Dream-work is part of the elaboration of unconscious conflict. When we remember a dream we retain communication with symbolic expressions of the unconscious' 

This challenges the idea of whether there could be a true 'climax' to a dream at all; as of course our thoughts and experiences have a beginning and an end, from when we fall asleep to when we awake, but how do we decide where the 'middle' takes place if dreams are so difficult to comprehend? I aim to create a sense of juxtaposed irony in my approach to the book by organising each stage into chapters, creating a disturbed sense of logic.

My focus on psychedelics and LSD began when I started to think about how the climax of a fantasy dream might feel as well as look. According to Cheryl Pellerin, 'drugs mimic natural processes in the brain  in a way that doesn't occur naturally' and enables the mind to find ways to alter consciousness. It is this idea of something unnatural causing the self to be released into a more natural realm of freedom that interests me the most. I believe that colour plays an extremely significant role in defining this theory as many pantones of colour are, effectively, unnaturally produced substances that provide natural meaning and definition to psychological and neurological theories. Pellerin colourfully describes personal hallucinogen experiences in Trips: How Hallucinogens Work In  Your Brain:

'There is no such thing as a straight line; whatever you look at breathes, changes colour faster than Dennis Rodman's hair, and morphs continually into and out of (what looks like) animation...buildings sway and melt into the whole chaotic colour bleed.'

The metaphor of a animated swaying building with ever changing colours to represent the mind is very inspiring for the development in both design for make-up, styling and post production for the Climax chapter. Conveying an altered state of consciousness through the use of colour, texture and application of product is crucial within the context of design. I will be predominantly using airbrushing techniques to blend colours together in the most natural, yet equally unnatural, of ways to mimic the climatic development that a drug-induced 'trip' may have on the unconscious mind. In 1985, psychologist Adolf Dittrich defined LSD-based consciousness as a

"change in thinking- a changed sense of time, a feeling of lost control; intense emotions; a changed body image; a change in visual perception including hallucinations, visions, illusions or synesthesia; and a change in the meanings of some beliefs."

All of this fits into three categories of feelings that Dittrich says make up the altered state -

1. Oceanic Boundlessness, a state like a mystical experience.
2. Fear of Ego Dissolution, an unpleasant state similar to what is known as a 'bad trip'
3. Visual Restructuralisation, which includes pseudo-hallucinations or visions, illusions and synesthesia.

Tom Kerr

I am aiming to create an etherial yet metaphorically powerful impact within the Climax chapter through both make-up, hair and post production. I am going to be working with both Lauren Kaigg, the photographer, and a personal friend and talented illustrator Kayleigh Hand on the post production of the final images which I am really excited about. The editing process for the chapter is a huge process so having myself as creative director and two talented professionals working towards a brief will be rewarding for all involved. 

I have been researching how LSD-induced consciousness has an impact on creative work and have come across some fascinating finds. Psychiatrist Dr. Oscar Janiger conducted an experiment with 100 artists to draw and paint a decorative and colourful portrait before and an hour after taking LSD. The measure of artistic creativity was significantly changed after taking the drug, with an strong emphasis on limitless artistic freedom. Relative size expansion, involution (objects shrunk or imbedded into a matrix) intense colours and light, oversimplication (artists eliminated detail) and fragmented, disorganised shapes and textures were the most prominent changes in the artist's work. These findings are very important for my own project in post production in order to mimic these changes and to try to submerse ourselves into the limitless state of mind that a drug such as LSD can impose.

As wonderful as this state of mind sounds though, I definitely am not planning on trying it for myself any time soon!