Humor is related to power. Whoever is in on the joke has control over others. This is one of the cruel elements of comedy that is rarely acknowledged.
This work takes the concept of a “joke” head on. The homemade looking high-voltage circuitry is designed to frighten the participant. This reaction contrasts with the title because the device looks anything other than “sanity enhancing”.
In a way the work does attempt to bring “sanity” back to the maddening nuances of aesthetics though. The Sanity Enhancement Device is not subtle. It makes its presents known with a jolt – no theory required.
