I have always believed that dreams offer us insights into our personalities and behavior. Paper Dreams explores this idea through photographic still-life based on my own dreams. My dreams are often unsettling, waking me up at night. To cope with this, I jot down key words that describe each dream before I fall back asleep, which allows me to record multiple dreams in a single night. This process not only reduces the fear associated with specific dreams, but also allows me to write about them later in a longer, diary-like format that I refer to when creating the still-lifes.

The medium of paper is central to this project, serving as the building material for the small sets I create for each photograph. Paper is transient and impermanent, much like dreams; through folding and origami techniques, the medium lends itself as versatile material for experimentation.

After cutting out and folding all the shapes needed to depict a given dream, I attach them to pieces of rigid board. In the photograph called “Coming to the Tree,” the set features a large paper tree and two sets of tableware that appear used, though no one is present in the picture. Shooting in the studio, I use strong, directional light that casts deep, long shadows, giving the sets a three-dimensional quality and surrealistic atmosphere. This helps express the complex interplay of fear and self-preservation within my artistic narrative.

Many of my dreams depicted are filled with contrasting emotions: survival instincts and guilt; guilt; fear and confidence. The results are unexpected and unsettling, and I often feel relieved when I wake up and realize these are just the conjurings of my unconscious mind. By documenting these ethereal visions through creative exploration, I seek to uncover hidden messages within my dreams, and uncover how they might guide me towards personal growth and self-improvement.