DJ Meisner is best known for his work with images connected to conspiracy theories, niche online subcultures, memetics, and their multiple points of overlap. At first glance Second body state seems to depart from that in nearly every way: instead of found imagery rendered in opaque and complicated terms these are legible, made by the artist, and are quite literally transparent. Without further information you'd never know they were the product of countless hours listening to guided meditation tapes that were developed in conjunction with the Department of Defense to train psychic spies.

“In the early 1970s, the Defense Intelligence Agency started funding research into the phenomenon of out-of-body experiences and remote viewing. That research, conducted by the Monroe Institute of Applied Sciences (MIAS) and the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), resulted in over 12,000 documents detailing the experiences participants had while navigating the “second body” state—the state one enters during an out-of-body experience. To train individuals in these skills, MIAS developed The Gateway Program, a series of guided meditation tapes designed to help listeners rapidly enter hypnagogia and then lift out of their bodies. Each tape is approximately 30 to 45 minutes long and uses binaural beats to induce brain entrainment.

For the past 19 months, I have listened to The Gateway Tapes every single day. During the week, I listen to them on my lunch break in my car. On the weekends, I listen before hikes. Sometimes I remember what happened once I return to my body. Sometimes I sit up after an hour, and it feels as if no time has passed at all. Often, I wake with little recollection of what happened other than an immense sense that I had just experienced something of great importance, something that won’t make sense to me until later. “

(Texy by DJ Meisner)