The Influencing Machine: James Tilly Matthews & The Air Loom

In 1810 James Tilly Matthews, who was confined as an incurable lunatic in Bedlam, drew a detailed plan of the Air Loom, a machine he believed to be controlling his mind. It was the first time such a device had been imagined, and it became the first published work of art by an asylum patient. Mike Jay has written a new article introducing James Tilly Matthews’ story and co-scripted a short animated film of the Air Loom. He has recently authored Mindcraft, a digital journey through the discovery of the unconscious for the Wellcome Collection and worked with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew on their Intoxication Season. He reviews regularly for the London Review of Books and for The Wall Street Journal.