( WORKSHOP 06) Hand in Day

Abstract: Long

My experience of the thresholds between sleeping and waking are centered around the moments between the two states. I focused on the networks in the brain and its movement when we are unconscious, and the way my brain adapts to reality, slowly but surely, through waking. My main thresholds/moments of sleep/wake are movement/stasis, weight/weightless and dream/certainty.

Each day I wake up with lingering dreams. The light from the window opposite my bed is the first thing I see when I wake up. Chirping birds and the stream of light which pours in through my window are things I often wake up to. I wanted to create another environment within my A2 drawing, showing dreams vs reality. I painted mountains dissolving into my bedroom to communicate that sleep/wake moment. The wrinkled paper and the wire on my model represent movement of the body and mind while asleep and waking up. I escape reality like a bird, only to go into my peaceful sleep and dream state. The birds on my model represent the freedom of my thoughts and their constant movement during my sleeping state.

To me, sleeping is a state where I feel very vulnerable and fragile. For my model, I express this idea in two parts; the book, and the jar of dreams. Going to sleep is the time I can switch my brain off, relax and focus on nothing else but myself and my mind. The ‘nest like” hole and the birds represent the way I feel about my sleeping state; I am vulnerable and fragile. This is what I wanted to highlight for my atmospheric image. My sleep state is precious to me. I find it fascinating how the brain functions while the body is asleep. After a long day the body and brain need time to recuperate. The jar is an extension of the mystery in the book. My dreams, seen or unseen by me, are precious to how my brain functions and how I think. My sleep/wake experience is one of many dreams, peacefulness and uncertainty.

Abstract: Short

My main thresholds/moments of sleep/wake are movement/stasis, weight/weightless and dream/certainty. I wanted to create another environment within my A2 drawing, showing dreams vs reality. I painted mountains dissolving into my bedroom (reality) to communicate that sleep/wake moment. The wrinkled paper and the wire on my model represent movement of the body and mind while asleep and waking up. I escape reality like a bird, only to go into my peaceful sleep and dream state. The birds on my model represent the freedom of my thoughts and their constant movement during my sleeping state. To me, sleeping is a state where I feel very vulnerable and fragile. The ‘nest like” hole and the birds represent the way I feel about my sleeping state; I am vulnerable and fragile, heavy yet weightless. The jar is an extension of the book which uncovers the mystery. My sleep/wake experience is one of many thoughts and dreams. It is peaceful, yet uncertain and unexplainable.