The Museum Dose: 12 Experiments in Pharmacologically Mediated Aesthetics

by Daniel Tumbleweed, J.P. Harpignies (Editor)

Daniel, during the stage of his life described herein, is a young, discrete, mild-mannered bookkeeper by day but an intrepid explorer of consciousness by night and on weekends. He also possesses a highly refined sensibility and an abiding passion for art and music. In this collection of true tales, akin to prose poems, he recounts a series of experiments he undertook over a two-year period that combined his aesthetic and consciousness-modulation interests: twelve psychedelically mediated visits to a range of New York museums, galleries and concert halls to encounter specific collections, shows, installations, and musical performances. Drawing from his substantial knowledge of the cutting edge of the contemporary underground mind-altering pharmacopeia, he carefully selected a different molecular compound and the ideal dosage (the "museum dose") to heighten each of these experiences. This text is riveting because Daniel's open-hearted temperament combined with the drug-induced raw emotional states and heightened perceptions permitted him to let the art he encountered trigger deeply visceral soul searching and some extraordinary transcendental moments, all of which he describes beautifully. He also vividly captures the flows and paradoxes of life in New York City, a major protagonist throughout, and he is a keen observer of contemporary mores. This book is in many ways profoundly unfashionable: there is no hint of irony here. This is a young man sincerely wrestling with the deepest questions, seeking to open his mind and his heart and find his way in life, and if you open your mind and heart to this young new writer's exciting debut, you will be moved and transported, whatever your feelings about his admittedly unconventional method.

142 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2015

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored each of these essays separately, like a dessert or aperitif. It always felt like a treat to pick up the book for another taste. He stays alert and brilliant through each trip, with a remarkable capacity for recording the peculiarities of tripping in a fresh, bright way. Loved.

[Rilka]

I loved this collection, loved the keen aesthetic sensitivity of the essayist, loved his researcher's approach to his alphabet-soup pharmacopeia, loved that he captured such a range of psychedelic experience - from mechanistic looping (Kraftwerk) to unironic cosmic ecstasy (Bach) to the smells of other people in the NYC subway... if you like tripping and you like art, I think you'll like this.

[Angus Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love psychopharmacology and reading trip reports so this was a great find. Others with these interests will most definitely enjoy this short but sweet read.

[Isham Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly unique account of matching various psychedelic drugs to particular museum and concert experiences.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that I've anticipated for a very long time without knowing it. So it feels like this book came out of nowhere for me. I don't even remember how I stumbled upon it. It might as well have appeared on my dresser after a night of lucid dreaming. And thankfully, it has retained that sense of peculiar existence even after reading.

I really think the conception of this essay collection is perfect. Upon reading the synopsis my mind shot off into an expanse of possibilities. There is easily an entire genre of interpretations latent in this one idea, which I'm only at the beginning of sussing out.

With that said, I placed way too many expectations on this one book. I went into it expecting an entire genre's worth of exploration, recounting, revelation, and discovery. While there certainly are instances of each, they come off in a similar vein to Daniel's prescriptions, microdoses.

These essays are a wonderful display of being present in an aesthetic experience and reflecting on the consciousness that arises from that presence, but there are very few instances where the author connects those aesthetic experiences to anything else in his life. For such an intimate subject I came away feeling like I do not know much about the author, or even the chemical compounds and the process of their curation.

Despite all this, I truly enjoyed reading The Museum Dose, and highly anticipate Daniel's second book. I hope this book becomes an entry-point for similar exploration to many others.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reminder of all the special cultural and fine arts experiences that can happen in NYC on an average day and the strange and diverse ways people like to enjoy them.