Edge of a Dream

Author

Lauren SchildFollow

Date of Award

Fall 2021

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Department/Major

Biology

First Advisor

John Banasiak

Second Advisor

Chris Meyer

Third Advisor

Phillip M. Hook

Keywords

Dream, Photography, Surrealism

Subject Categories

Fine Arts | Photography | Visual Studies

Abstract

“Edge of a Dream” is a photographic series using both film and digital mediums to explore the moments right as a dream is ending and before you wake up. I chose this theme for my series after waking up one morning in the middle of a dream. I was awake and aware, but I could not remove myself from the dream. I decided to use this project as an opportunity to explore that state and attempt to understand how our minds create dreams in the first place. Each image uses a different set of surreal methods to recreate photographic representations of my dreams, and while all the images have elements of surrealism, I use it in a variety of ways to represent the range of dreams I have had. Some images present the creepy side of my dreams, some present the child-like quality, and some take on the burden of stress that defines itself in my sleep. As with many dreams, further inspection of the images reveals a higher level of disconnect with reality. Mordancage is one of my favorite methods for representing the deterioration of dreams as I wake up. As the photo is soaked in multiple chemical baths, the densest layers of the image begin to peel up and displace, causing the image to distort and redistribute that information, blurring the lines between the dream world and reality. I also used Adobe Photoshop for a large number of images to explore digital methods of recreating dreams.

Recommended Citation

Schild, Lauren, "Edge of a Dream" (2021). Honors Thesis. 234.
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/234