Abstract
It was like dozing off to sleep and opening the door to a new world; one second I was lying down, staring up at the ceiling, and the next I was floating across the endless ocean, drifting away.
The ancient Greeks were among the first to attempt uncovering the secrets of our dreams, using opium poppies to induce ‘dream incubation’ in hopes of curing their illnesses (1). For generations to come, we continued to develop anesthetics that, much like opium poppies, produced feelings of euphoria and numbness. Through these very physical changes to our bodily sensations, we can alter our mental setting and be thrown into a dreamstate. Thus, whether from a good night’s rest or chemically induced, we often slip in and out of dreams, leaving me to question: when we dream, where do we go? Is the mind confined to the brain, or does it span across the body?
For many, human consciousness is governed by the soul – a rather spiritual conception that dictates the very essence of personhood. To others, however, consciousness is not entirely immaterial. The Chinese character xin, for instance, is said to have three variable meanings: the heart, the brain, and the mind (2). Interestingly, xin combines both physical and non-physical forms, conveying the interconnectedness of the mind and body.
In this final project, I’ve created a Box of Dreams to bridge the gap between the mind and body. Unopened, the box is at rest, providing images of a starry evening sky under which one might find themselves steadily falling asleep. Inside, however, lie the mysteries and wonders of the unconscious mind. Colors swirl into crashing waves and soaring clouds. Moody skies converge along the horizon. A small door, cut into the lid of the box, offers passage from the conscious world to the unconscious; from the physical to the immaterial.
Process
Results
References
1. Carod-Artal, Francisco Javier. “Psychoactive Plants in Ancient Greece.” Neurosciences and History 1, no. 1 (August 16, 2012): 28–38. https://nah.sen.es/vmfiles/abstract/NAHV1N1201328_38EN.pdf
2. Li, Guangming, Alex Wragge-Morley, and Lan Li. “Thinking Organs.” Metaphors of the Mind. Accessed May 5, 2022. https://cargocollective.com/mind-metaphors/102-THINKING-ORGANS.