The Last Frame of the Day (Dream Telegram) An exhibition of works to be viewed before falling asleep. Curated by James Clar One of the eight exhibitions of the first Ctrl+P Biennale
Hypnagogic hyp·na·go·gic ˌ hip-nə-ˈgä-jik-ˈgō-: of, relating to, or occurring in the period of drowsiness immediately preceding sleep “The hypnagogic state is that heady lull between wakefulness and sleep when thoughts and images flutter, melt, and transform into wild things.” – Cate McQuaid (Boston Globe, October 1, 1998)
As a light and media artist focusing on new technological production processes and their application to artistic narrative forms, I was inspired by Gregor Janson in his essay “Nothing New Under the Sun” [1] where he describes cinema as a dream-factory, which takes us prisoner in darkness. Essential for the cinema’s spell and fascination is precisely this darkness, which provokes immersion in a sort of cave of the subconscious, within which the images (of artificial light) develop their suggestive power. This combined with concepts of Dream Telepathy, [2] where communication can be done to someone while in a subconscious state were of interest in this project. Artworks generally require an active, focused state, but these works require the viewer to lose focus. The hope, of course, is for the works to become entry points into the viewers’ dream-space.
The artists were asked “If you could control what the last thing an audience sees before going to sleep, what would it be? What would be your wish as the last frame of their waking moment and the first frame of their dream state.” With cultural diversity and mythic undertones, their creations become a contemporary reflection on “Charon’s Obol.” [3] the coin placed in or on the mouth of a dead person before burial. The myth resonates metaphorically as a token passage into the realm of dreams.
Thus, the artists in this exhibition were invited to create works that would be the last thing a viewer sees/experiences before falling asleep. Considering the ubiquity of mobile phones used at bedtime, it is only fitting that the works were produced specifically for viewing on phones during the viewer’s transition from wakefulness to sleep. They are best experienced one work at a time as bridge from the conscious to the subconscious. There are 17 works altogether. A viewer should experience the whole exhibition one work every night within 17 days.
Click to view exhibition (on your phone)