Headcandy
Sidney’s Psychedelic Adventure
Headcandy
Why do people pay good money for screensavers? Modern cathode ray tubes are in no danger of suffering the fate of those old Pac-Man consoles, where the ghostly tracery of a maze lingers on top of everything. Perhaps the answer lies not in the function they claim to do but in the neural clusters they trigger somewhere in our brains.
Sidney’s Psychedelic Adventure could callously be dismissed as a screensaver on video, if it weren’t so well-integrated and flowing. Coupled with the music of Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, Alpha Wave Movement, the Bohemian Swingers and others, the visuals on this video seem to be based on a kaleidoscopic effect that constantly mutates in form and color pattern. The video comes with 3D rave glasses, a packet of incense and some Necco candy buttons, in order to prepare yourself for the upcoming attraction, I assume. I’m sure additional independent preparation can magnify the hypnotic effects of this abstract video…
I can’t quantize what makes Sidney’s Psychedelic Adventure a much better experience than, say, After Dark’s “Satori” module. The difference is subtle, but it’s there – this video breathes and pulsates with a human touch, while most dinky programs rely on color, shape and flash to obscure the fact that they are just dinky programs. The images on screen shift in pattern, mood, shape, color and activity in a manner that can only be described as deliberate (as opposed to random) and somewhere deep inside your lobes, a strong audio-visual connection is forged between the mutating hues on screen and the rhythmic and variegated music. Each element taken on its own might be dismissed as just an average attempt at artistry – but the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts, folks. Suitable for serious meditation, inducing trance-like states, or for locking out your TV at your next party. Headcandy, 2230 Rose Lane, Clearwater, FL 34624
