Effects - Chicken Or The Egg? Psychedelic visuals original or intertextual?

[Dalfir]

The closed eye visuals SWIM gets on LSD are colourful geometric shapes (triangles, hexagons, etc). He wonders if this is the same for everyone, or only him, because he associates LSD with psychedelic art and fashion design which uses the same type of shapes. At one point he was in awe at the fact that someone had managed to harness and remember their visuals enough to be able to apply them to art very accurately, but he now wonders if this is the case or if he's simply seeing these visuals because he's been so exposed to psychedelic influenced art.

Here in South Africa, there are quite a few Psytrance events. One of the outdoor ones is called Alien Safari, and when SWIM was under the influence at one of these, he could understand EXACTLY why it was named such. The modern, coloured lights and fashion contrasting with the outdoor landscape and conventional tents and stalls really seemed exactly like what he imagines an Alien Safari to be.

An indoor Psy event he went to awhile ago was known as Psychedelic Circus, and once again, he could see exactly why it was called such. The plasticy/video-game type visuals coupled with a strong "Jester's court" aesthetic really could only be summed up a a Psychedelic Circus.

SWIM wonders if the founders of these events had common revelations at indoor/outdoor parties and thus named their parties after these thoughts, or if SWIM's visuals are based around the theme of the party, because it's what he is subconciously expecting.