THE UNTAPPED IMAGINATION HOW DREAMS CAN STIMULATE IMAGINATION THROUGH ART
KARLIJN DE LANGE
INDEX Introduction
2
Dreams & Memories
3
Unlimited Imagination
5
Dreams & Movies
7
Reflection & Perspective
9
Drawing Dreams
11
Inspiration & Imagination
13
More Information: Dreams & Memories
15
More Information: Unlimited Imagination
16
More Information: Dreams & Movies
17
More Information: Reflection & Perspective
18
More Information: Drawing Dreams
19
More Information: Inspiration & Imagination
20
My Artistic Work
21
Conclusion
21
Bibliography
22
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INTRODUCTION In this book I will pose questions in order to try to enrich your perception of dreams and imagination. In doing this, I will use my art as a way to talk about certain topics in this context of dreams and imagination. There are several ways in which you can use this book. For instance, you can discuss the questions with someone else or in a group. It is also an option to read and think about these questions for yourself. Later on in the book I will explain why I asked these specific questions and provide more information on the topics.
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DREAMS & MEMORIES What are dreams?
Why do we dream?
Where does our dream content come from?
In which ways do your dreams shape your memories?
How does this art work contribute to your understanding of dreams and memories?
If you want to know more about dreams and memories look at page 14.
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Karlijn de Lange. Shaped. Pencil and marker on paper. 14,8 x 21 cm. 2020.
UNLIMITED IMAGINATION What is imagination?
Do you think imagination is endless?
Do you think it is easier to imagine in your dreams than in waking life?
Have you ever imagined something in your dreams that you wouldn’t be able to imagine awake?
Does this painting stimulate your imagination?
If you want to know more about unlimited imagination look at page 15.
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Karlijn de Lange. From Inside. Oil on linnen. 33 x 38 cm. 2019.
DREAMS & MOVIES Do you think dreams and movies are similar in some way?
Have you ever dreamed about a movie?
Have you ever seen a movie that was about dreams?
What soundtrack would fit your dreams?
Does this painting seem filmic to you? How?
If you want to know more about dreams and movies look at page 16.
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Karlijn de Lange. Set. Oil on linnen. 23 x 30 cm. 2020.
REFLECTION & PERSPECTIVE Do you think your dreams are unique?
Do you think your dreams reflect you as a person ?
Do your dreams allow you to get a different perspective?
What is the value of getting a different perspective?
What does this drawing tell you about perspective?
If you want to know more about dreams and memories look at page 17.
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Karlijn de Lange. Altitude. Pencil on Paper. 21 x 29,7 cm. 2020.
REMEMBERING DREAMS Do you always remember your dreams?
Would you like to remember your dreams more often?
What could be the value of remembering dreams?
Have you ever tried to draw or write your dream?
Do you think this drawing could be of someone's dream?
If you want to know more about remembering dreams look at page 18.
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Karlijn de Lange. 36˚46’32”N 114˚08’50”W. Pencil and Marker on Paper. 14,8 x 21 cm. 2020
INSPIRATION & IMAGINATION What is your source of inspiration?
Do you ever run out of imagination?
Do you think dreams and memories can be a source of inspiration?
Does the source of inspiration for this painting matter for your understanding of it?
If you want to know more about art and imagination look at page 19.
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Karlijn de Lange. Untitled. Oil and Crayon on Oil Paper. 50 x 55,4 cm. 2020.
More information about:
DREAMS & MEMORIES When researching the function of dreams I discovered that our dreams’ purpose is to process our memories and integrate emotion in to them. The way our brain shapes our memories is to ‘make meaning.’ Memories become more about the present than about the past because we remember in ways that are relevant to us now. A book that talks about how and why we dream is "The Mind at Night" by Andrea Rock.
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More information about:
UNLIMITED IMAGINATION Imagination is the ability to plan, fantasize and visualize your thoughts. When you dream opportunity is created to imagine without boundaries and structures of waking life. This sometimes causes dreams to be a somewhat strange distortion of real elements. If you are interested in the development of imagination, "The Work of The Imagination" by Paul L. Harris is a recommended book.
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More information about:
DREAMS & MOVIES Dreams can often feel like a movie in several ways. For instance, somebody is acting out a part in them and time and location isn’t always specified. This may cause them to feel surrealistic or absurdistic at times. For this reason lots of movies are based on dreams and the other way around. A movie that is based on the phenomenology of dreams and the distortion of reality is "The Matrix" by the Wachowski's. An interesting book that talks about the connections between memories and movies is "Memory and Movies" By John Seamon.
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More information about:
REFLECTION & PERSPECTIVE Dream analysis research shows that when 100 dreams are collected of an individual it gives an accurate reflection of this person’s concerns according to Bill Domhoff (Rock 65). For this reason it can be insightful to be aware of your dream content. It can make you more aware of how your dreams reflects you as a person and perhaps your concerns.
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More information about:
REMEMBERING DREAMS Not everyone always remembers their dream content. Drawing your dreams right after you wake up or writing them down can be a way to train yourself to memorize more dream content. This works best if you do it immediately after you wake up. It can be useful to memorize dream content because it can be inspiring or give insight to your subconscious for example.
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More information about:
INSPIRATION & IMAGINATION Memories and dreams both function to give meaning to our lives. They are in a way the visual sources that feed our imagination. Thus imagination can be both a tool and a source of inspiration. Your imagination is a personal and original source of inspiration that can come to expression in art for example.
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MY ARTISTIC WORK My artistic work is usually about suggesting a large phenomenal space into a small physical space. The way in which we tend to frame visuals such as photographs, movies and memories is often so that they become meaningful to us individually. By creating this big phenomenal space I aim to capture a frame which functions as a overviewing perspective of a space as it is ours to make meaning of. Dreams are similar spaces in which all that we deem meaningful comes together in a phenomenal space of which the location and size is unknown. I have a tendency to use the desert as a tool to create this space since it is vast and empty and thus the size of the space is not specific. In doing this I often question the boundary between landscape and abstraction in my work.
CONCLUSION Imagination is an important skill as it allows us to plan, fantasize and visualize our thoughts. However, the use of media technology such as smartphones and television inhibits the imagination when it is used as a default tool for inspiration. For this reason I found it important to research how talking about dreams and drawing them can be a way to stimulate imagination. Dreams are an endless source of imagination which is technically accessible for everyone, yet unique to each individual.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Rock, Andrea. The Mind at Night. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2004. Print. Harris, Paul L. The Work of the Imagination. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Inc, 2000. Print. The Matrix, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving. Warner Bros, 1999. Film. Seamon, John. Memory and Movies: What Films Can Teach Us About Memory. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2015. Print
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This book will aim to active the reader to think about their sources for inspiration and imagination. It will give insight to how dreams can increase the ability to imagine. Art is used as a way to talk about this and to activate and inspire the reader. This book is suitable for adults, as well as young adults and the questions could be applied in a context of art education.