VISIONS

"When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed..." 
Shakespeare's sonnet 43

Video/audio work "Visions" explores what are we seeing behind closed eyes and whether our senses can be hacked. 

Closing your eyes can be trippy, with a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors visible behind shut lids.  When the eyelids are closed but without a blindfold, most people can see  moving specks of light, geometric shapes, flashes and a range of colors.

The plethora of things a person can see when eyes are closed are collectively called entoptic phenomena.
They include phosphenes and other visual effects generated by the eye or brain. 

Researchers have written about eighth-century Taoist monks in China who attempted to reach a different psychic plane, slowing their heart rate and concentrating deeply. They could generate these phosphenes during a hypnagogic state-which is that moment right before you fall asleep. During that twilight phase of being neither asleep nor awake, the monks reported their eyes, on demand, producing images similar to mandala.