sensory deprivation always seemed like a punishment to me

Nikolai

In the province of the mind, in the inside reality, what one believes to be true, either is true or becomes true within certain limits. These limits are to be discovered experientially and experimentally. When so determined, these limits are found to be further beliefs to be transcended.’

John C. Lilly (1915-2001), The Deep Self, 1977


As part of the exhibition Gödel Escher Bach, we are proud to offer visitors the opportunity to personally experience John C. Lilly's tank isolation technique. The original concept was devised by John Lilly as a research instrument in 1954. In the ensuing decades, Lilly would go on to simplify and perfect the solitude, isolation and confinement tank, making it safer to build and use even for those untrained in this kind of research. The flotation tank that is available for visitors to use was inspired by Lilly's original tank designs.

The flotation tank is a medium for process. It removes 99% of sensory input sources, assisting the user in cultivating an awareness of their internal state of being and attuning to their senses within and without the tank. Similar to meditation, many people enter into a relationship with sensory deprivation practices with certain expectations about what is going to happen. 'All we can say to these people is — nothing will happen that you don’t already know about; nothing can happen that you will not allow happening, i.e.: “What is forbidden is not allowed.”' The possibilities for application of the tank isolation technique are multiple, ranging from simple relaxation in the weightlessness of the salt solution, pain relief for individuals suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, and psychonautic exploration of consciousness, with many certainly yet to be discovered. The relative lack of contemporary awareness of and research into sensory deprivation is partially due to the inaccessibility of the medium to the public. Floatation centers are scarce and expensive. Especially centers that endeavor to create an environment conducive to exploration, experimentation, and reflection are lacking.

West hopes to become such an environment throughout the exhibition of the flotation tank, providing an (albeit temporary) embryonic escape through sensory deprivation from life in a cultural climate characterized by flagrant overstimulation. An impossible space for self-interrogation of The Deep Self.