The Suspension of Disbelief

This is a secret deal you make with yourself to pretend that what you are seeing is real, even though you know it is a stage. You decide to believe that a wooden stick is a magic wand or that a man is a king. When we believe together, we create a new world that exists only in our minds.

When we believe together, we create a new world that exists only in our minds. A hundred strangers sit in the dark and agree that this man is Hamlet. Nobody signed a contract. Nobody shook hands. But for two hours, Denmark is real. That is not a trick. That is the most powerful thing humans do: agree on something invisible.

Coined by Coleridge: the poetic faith requiring temporary suppression of the critical faculty for aesthetic experience. Vital in virtual reality and gaming, where presence depends on willingness to ignore the medium. Explores the boundary between objective reality and consensual hallucination. Every civilization that ever existed was built on suspension of disbelief. Money, nations, laws: all require it.

SOUND: The crackle of a record player and you imagine a whole orchestra: belief fills the gaps.

SMELL: Sniffing a plastic flower and imagining a garden: your brain completing the illusion.

TASTE: Drinking plain water and pretending it is a royal potion: imagination has a flavor.

TOUCH: Running your hand over a rough wall and imagining a castle: your fingers believing.

SIGHT: Looking at a drawing and imagining the characters moving: sight surrendering to faith.

BODY: Walking on your tiptoes and feeling like you are floating: your body choosing the illusion.

Music: Pure Imagination by Flannel Graph

Music: Fa Fa by Guster

Music: The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala

Part of Theater & Performance — ART — Education Revelation