Daniel Tumbleweed

The Museum Dose: 12 Experiments in Pharmacologically Mediated Aesthetics Daniel Tumbleweed

Publisher Marketing: 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. Contributor Bio:  Harpignies, J P J. P. Harpignies is a Brooklyn, NY-based consultant, conference producer, copy editor and writer. He is the author of several non-fiction books, including DOUBLE HELIX HUBRIS (1997), POLITICAL ECOSYSTEMS (2004), DELUSIONS OF NORMALITY (2009), and ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS (2014); co-writer of The Magic Carpet Ride (2011); editor of the collection, Visionary Plant Consciousness (2007); and associate editor of the first two Bioneers books: Ecological Medicine and Nature's Operating Instructions. He has also been the associate producer of the Bioneers Conference (www.bioneers.org) since the early 1990s; co- founded the Eco-Metropolis Conference (2004/05); has served as a senior member of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge review team since 2011; and was formerly a program director at the New York Open Center (in the early/mid 1990s). J. P. also taught t'ai chi chuan in Brooklyn for 25 years.