Lucid Dream at esSENSE: Wonder and the Freedom to Question

I took Lucid Dream to esSENSE FEST USA ’25 on August 2, 2025, in the Chicago area. The setting gave this performance a particular meaning for me: here was an opportunity to create wonder at a gathering that values questioning.

esSENSE brings together people interested in atheist and rationalist ideas. I wanted to understand that purpose and let it shape what I brought to the event. A show feels more personal to me when it has a connection with the people it is meant for.

I liked the challenge. Mentalism begins with an experience that can be difficult to explain. We notice something, make an assumption and expect a particular outcome. Then something happens that asks us to look at that expectation again. There is plenty to enjoy in that moment, and plenty to think about afterwards.

For Lucid Dream, I wanted the gathering’s ideas to find their way into the experience through that curiosity. The performance could carry a message about questioning appearances and examining what we accept as true, while still giving people the pleasure of a mystery.

And I do enjoy a good mystery. There is a very human pleasure in encountering something you cannot immediately account for. I think that pleasure can sit comfortably beside a questioning mind. In fact, wanting to understand can make the experience even more interesting.

My own work often brings me back to the difference between noticing and understanding. In filmmaking, I think about what an image invites someone to feel. In mentalism, I think about what an experience invites someone to expect. Both make me curious about how we arrive at a conclusion, sometimes very quickly.

esSENSE gave those interests a meaningful place to meet. I could connect my performance with ideas that mattered to the gathering, and I appreciated that opportunity. It also reminded me how much the purpose of an event can influence the work I create for it.

I want people to have room for their own thoughts during a show. They may enjoy a surprise, question it, talk about it or simply carry the moment with them. That freedom is part of what makes performing interesting to me. Everyone brings something of themselves to the experience.

Looking back at Lucid Dream, I am glad I could contribute to a gathering where curiosity was already welcome. Wonder and thoughtful questioning have both been important in my own journey. This performance gave me a chance to bring them together and share that part of myself.