Dreamt (2023)

"Dreamt..." is a series of artwork inspired by a dream journal, which I kept from 2014 to 2016 to help me remember my dreams. Each page began with the word "dreamt...", since I had never gone back to read them before, I found myself drawn to the vivid images and snippets of dreams that remained in my mind.

I find it fascinating that while we forget most dreams, certain images from them can stay with us for a long time - haunting or comforting us. Dreams are a deeply personal experience, providing insight into one’s subconscious, and I usually only share them with close friends or family. However, for this series, I have selected certain snippets from my dream journal that conjure up specific memories or vivid images in my mind. These are not full dreams, but rather snapshots of my subconscious.

To reflect the ephemeral nature of dreams I chose tracing paper and a transparent manner of framing to interact with light. Indeed, the image can change a little and even be harder to see depending on the light it is viewed in - similar to our dreams, which often fade with the morning light and fight back when we try to recapture them. The black outline in each image is a reference to the pen I used to write down my dreams. It helped me capture the dream on paper, even if it quickly faded from my memory, no matter how hard I tried to keep it there. Similarly, the pen outlines help the viewer see the image more clearly no matter the lighting the work is viewed in.

The title of each piece is a direct quote from the journal without revealing the entire dream or even the entire sentence in some cases. The fragmented and seemingly random nature of this series reflects the fragmentation of my dreams in the journal itself. Through "Dreamt...", I invite viewers to experience a glimpse of my fantastical dream world and to reflect on their own relationship with their memory and the magic of dreams.