Experiments in Mind Reading: Remy Dillenseger Collects Brainwaves in The Dome
- julia wallace
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
On a quiet Monday eve at Notsuoh, the Dome became a temporary research laboratory as artist Remy Dillenseger IG: @demiurge.media invited visitors to take part in an evolving experiment exploring the relationship between brain activity, light, and perception. Rather than a scheduled performance or exhibition, the project unfolded organically within the bar, offering curious patrons the chance to step inside the Dome and become part of an artwork still in development.
Working in collaboration with Liz Halfen and with her support throughout the project, Remy transformed the Dome into a space for both artistic inquiry and public participation. The team offered anyone interested to sit in a dentist's chair beneath the Dome's curved ceiling, where volunteers wore a non-invasive EEG headset while watching a series of videos created by Houston artist, Joey. As the videos played, the headset recorded each viewer's brain activity, creating a growing archive of responses that will inform future artworks.
Rather than seeking scientific conclusions, the project is an exercise in curiosity. Each participant contributed a unique set of neural data. Individual moments of attention, emotion, and perception to become material for an evolving artistic process. Visitors that participated became a part of the art, their brainwaves becoming a part of the data informing technological sculptures to come.
The experiment also transformed an ordinary night of drinking out on the town into an intriguing creative experience. Guests wandering into the bar into Notsuoh truly got to enjoy its reputation as a social sculpture acting in full force order as they unexpectedly encountered an artist collecting brainwave data in the upstairs rooms. Artists, regulars, and first-time visitors gathered around informing and engaging with ideas that are still taking shape. Conversations about neuroscience, perception, technology, and the many ways art can invite participation rather than passive observation flowed along with the drinks.
The Dome provided an ideal setting for this exchange. Its intimate scale & the wonder that it inspires encouraged participants to slow down, engage with the unfamiliar, and become collaborators in this unfolding work. More than a venue for finished presentations, the Dome became an experiment in action—where artists can test ideas, gather material, and invite the community into projects.
The brainwave recordings gathered during these sessions are part of Remy''s broader exploration of neurofeedback and responsive environments. Earlier this year, he premiered related work at a Quack Circle event hosted by ART CLUB at POST Houston, where his own brain activity controlled an immersive light installation in real time. By translating neural signals into shifting patterns of light, the work explored the possibility of making invisible mental processes a visible experience through technology and light.
The experiment at the Dome represents another step in that ongoing investigation. The data collected during these evenings will continue to shape future iterations of the project. Projects like this embody an important part of the Dome's mission. The space exists not only as a venue for finished performances and exhibitions, but as an incubator where artists can test ideas, bring together disciplines, and invite audiences into creative processes as they unfold.: an art womb!
Whether through performance, installation, technology, or collaborations between artists and scientists, the Dome continues to nurture new forms of experimentation rooted in curiosity, exchange, and community.
Many thanks to Remy Dillenseger, Liz Halfen, Joey, and everyone who generously contributed their time, curiosity, and brainwaves to this evolving project.
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