Brion Gysin was born on January 16, 1916 and passed away on July 13, 1986. Gysin was a painter, writer, sound poet, and performance artist. He was born in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.
Gysin discovered the cut-up technique, which was used by his friend William S. Burroughs. The cut-up technique was a more developed from which it had been used before. Gysin would place layers of newspapers as a mat to protect the table from being scratched since he was using a razor blade to cut the papers. While he was cutting, he noticed that the layers offered interesting juxtapositions of text and image. Subsequently, he began deliberately cutting newspaper articles into sections, and then rearranged them randomly. His first cut-up experiment resulted in the book Minutes to Go.
He is also known for the Dream Machine. This is a flicker device designed as an art object to be viewed with the eyes closed. Gysin created the machine along with Ian Sommerville. The machine produces visual stimuli. It is claimed to allow one to enter a hypnagogic state, or to go from being awake to asleep. In order to escape the Dream Machine, all you have to do is open your eyes.
"Brion Gysin was the only man I ever respected."
--- William S. Burroughs ---
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