Theme / Topic: Psychedelics
Working title: "What is the relationship between psychedelics and liberation?"
Working sub-title: How has this been portrayed through visual culture? ...creative culture?...in a creative context?
Main Body 1:
• Contextualise the emergence of the psychedelic movement - aims and ideologies
• What is the ideology of hippie counterculture? - utopian dream - communist - desire for freedom - communal (examples of this)
• Locate/pin down to the 1960's / 1970's (due to the abundance of information throughout this time) but include the historical acts of exploring ones consciousness through history including shamanism and ritual
• exploration of consciousness - is this an example of liberating ones core meaning and value?
• Check out dissertation structure help on e-studio. Use as a guide. 'Main body 1' should be around 3000 words - expect this section of my dissertation to be bigger considering the extent of what I need to include.
• Consider political, historical and cultural contexts
• Is this suppressed ideology trying to teach our deep engrained human need for freedom - LIBERATION!?
• Free humanity - does society and its implications / structure stifle this?
• Marx - Political stance on society? examples
• Freud - Forced to conform? examples
• Organised society - against civilisation
• Society limits who we are as people - this deep need for freedom - society suppresses us
• Join the dots between shamanic teachings and ritual through the use of psychedelics... (what are they trying to achieve? what is their message? what is the aim and consequence of this experience within their culture both historically and currently?)...and recreational drug use and experimentation. -Based on case studies (main body 2)
Main Body 2:
• 3 examples / case studies to relate back to 'main body 1'.
1: OZ Magazine cover
2: Example of people attempting to liberate themselves, thoughts, ideals & society
3: Further example
.... 4: example of negative psychedelic propaganda to relate / compare? i.e:
Examples / case studies to discuss:
• OZ magazine cover - "A Parents Guide to Drug Abuse"
Hits back at negative propaganda with sarcasm & humour. Degrades common stigma. The magazine (underground / alternative press along with 'IT' magazine) was raided by police and eventually shut down due to the belief that the magazine & its explicit content was an "attempt to corrupt public morals". This the example of how liberation has been stifled. The court case?
• Anti drugs propaganda - 1970's
• Examples of suppression in society - just creative or...?
•Examples of this ideology and further expression of this...
-movies
-music
- a novel
- a commune ...
Practical ideas:
• "Provide an answer to the problem"
• Create reportage style illustrations of positive psychedelic experiences - to act as an "anti-propaganda" to hit back at the negative stigma surrounding the substances. Freeing oneself from repression.
• Satyrical parody - fight propaganda with "anti-propaganda" - unbiased truth
• My reportage - "freeing" people and their psychedelic experiences - in turn a hit back at suppressive society.
Example / inspiration:
- Olivier Kugler reportage illustrations (below)
- Rebecca Williamson (LCA Alumni) reportage for COP3. Focuses on people and displays their personal story visually.
 |
| Olivier Kugler |
- Sources: Sources of the 'real-life' testimonials to visually respond to could come from interviews / questionaries / surveys or from online sources such as forums / blogs of trip reports (www.shroomery.com). Start to collate and investigate peoples actual psychedelic experiences. One illustration for each psychedelic substance? Still adopt psychedelic aesthetic? Elements of visuals experienced when tripping on each individual substance?
- Notes: This practical response will create strong synergy between the core of what illustration is (a tool to convey & communicate) and my argument throughout my dissertation.
It is an expression of the freedom of ideals-speech-experience & the truth. (Reportage - a true - unbiased account?)
This all links to the psychedelic substances themselves, what the psychedelic experience is, the stripping away of ego, taboo, stigma as well as the expectations and restraints put on us in society - the need to be free to explore ones consciousness and sense of self.
This reportage illustration practical response is in fact liberating the subject and the ideals surrounding their personal, positive and ultimately profound psychedelic experience. In effect acting in complete contrast to and hitting back at the negative, often incorrect and misleading social stigma and propaganda associated with this topic. Gives the psychedelic experience a voice. It would be the freeing of truth.
To Do:
• Attempt to draft chapter 1 "Introduction" for the next one-on-one tutorial with Richard in 2 weeks time.
• Choose my case study examples.
Thoughts:
• Went into the session feeling very lost with regards to the direction of my research project and ultimately drowning in lots of disorganised research.
• Have come away with a direction which I am nervous about (due to not knowing a lot about this particular aspect / stance / direction / take on my theme) but excited to find out more and feel it is an engaging topic - one with relevance to the industry and my practice.
• I hope I am intelligent enough to organise my research, extract what I need to prove my argument and answer my questions, analyse my sources and ultimately pull off a good dissertation!
• I don't need to aim to solve any world/cultural issues with regards to drug usage with this research project. Enough information regarding a current and strong taboo subject to investigate and provide an answer too.
• Keep question in mind at all times - relate back to always. "Is this relevant with regards to my title / question?"
What next:
• Organise and work through my mounds of current research
• Extract the most relevant - may need to do more due to the change in direction of my theme
• Send emails to experts who can point me in the right direction to strogner sources of information ("Lorenzo" - Psychedelic Salon, "Ben Sessa" - Psychiatrist, psychedelic researcher)
• Research testimonials (forums, blogs, trip reports: www.bluelight.com, www.dmtnexus.com, www.shroomery.com)
• Decide if further primary research is needed in terms of interviews / questionnaires for testimonials
• Remember to ask permission before using any personal information & private testimonial accounts
• Choose my case studies
• Attempt 1000 word draft of chapter 1 'Introduction' for 2 weeks time