2011 Student Show

"Where You Go When You Dream: Step Two" © 2011

NKU's annual Student Show has it's opening reception this Thursday (March 17, 2011) and I am proud to say I will have four photographs displayed. All from my "I Want to Know Where you Go When you Dream" series I began working on last semester.

The series itself, thus far, is roughly twenty images in length. It starts by welcoming the viewer into the dream. 

The inspiration for this series stems from a reoccurring nightmare I had when I was a kid. Many times I would either lie awake at night, or I would wake up constantly forgetting where I was, though I wouldn't have left the comfort of my bed.

"Where You Go When You Dream: Step Three" © 2011

Somehow, and I never quite figured out how, the dreams stopped. Not only did the nightmare go away entirely, but I didn't find myself dreaming at all.

Years passed without a nightmare, without a dream, without a thought of something being wrong subconsciously, and then it happened. One night, this past summer, I fell asleep and I was met with an image that made no sense to me. Two months later, that exact same dream revisited me, as did another and it is that dream I have begun to photograph.

"Where You Go When You Dream: Step Five" © 2011

 "I need communication. To know what your face means when it looks at me with that expression with multiple readings, and in these dreams, the faces are silent.

These dreams have no words. These dreams have no answers. They go, and thus I follow. These dreams are not mine. I have no control and what goes on between awake and asleep has no elaboration until pieces become one and a pattern is created.

Things appear as others are flashes in a fog-filled distance, erased into a color I can only assume representing what it was.

"Where You Go When You Dream: Step Four" © 2011

A girl, a woman, either or, I am not sure, meets me somewhere. She sits as though she's been waiting, but not for me. Curled and hugging her knees. I see nothing above her elbows. Try as I might, her face remains hidden from me. Though, asking who she is seems to make the most sense, somehow I know I cannot speak, and follow.

This figure created in my mind moves quickly, I know, but I can only view her in slow motion. Almost as though we were underwater and all appeared on dry land.  I still cannot speak, but somehow I communicate with her. Her face remains a mystery, this place is a place I have never been, but somehow feels familiar to me. She dances further on and I continue to follow.

She appears to not notice me - did we not just speak? But my mouth, it moves without words - am I imagining things? I turn - how have I come this far? Turning back - her face. She stares into me. I cannot breathe. She stares through me. A cold rush springs from the tip of toe to the top of my head - I cannot tell if my heart's still beating.

A force builds up behind me, this ache taps on my shoulder of something hovering over me, getting closer. I gasp and I remember, this is a dream, a figment of my imagination - I can hear myself telling me to leave. "Wake up!" I scream, and somewhere there's something hearing that voice and listens. My eyes open and the imprint of her face stares down at me from the ceiling." 

- I Want to Know Where you Go When you Dream © Nicole Berger