The Weird, Wild World of Dream-Inducing Oneirogens – Van Winkle’s
Published in Van Winkle’s – November 4, 2015
It’s midnight in a warehouse space in downtown Los Angeles. Instead of bouncing to a DJ, a couple dozen strangers snuggle down into sleeping bags piled and prepare to listen to a different sort of music. Somnium is a seven-and-a-half-hour composition by Robert Rich, specifically designed to optimize the dream experience. I hit play and climb into my own cozy nest.
At the same moment, people around the world do the same, preparing to listen to the track in their own bedrooms. Tonight, we’re an intimately connected community of dreamers.
We’re participating in the Oneironauticum, a worldwide slumber party I launched in 2008. It’s dedicated to the exploration of oneirogens — substances, sounds, scents and practices that intensify dreams. The word comes from the Greek oneiro, dream, and gen, to create. They work.
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