Oneirographia - The writing of dreams

This work presents an artistic process based on a dream that took place in the capital of Czechoslovakia, a region unknown to the dreamer, which happened at the beginning of the quarantine period due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The first stage of this creative process started with the confirmation of coincidences between real-life Prague and the dreamed Prague. The similarities, discovered mainly through the search algorithms that led to Google maps, touristic blogs, Wikipedia, and other websites allowed the collection of data for the memories would not be lost and could be used as tools for the creative process. That fact so unique and different from other experienced dream phenomena aroused a series of sensations and reflections on the possibility of incorporating the unforeseen and irrational element as a means of promoting academic inquiry and artistic research. It was also an encouragement at the critical moment of confinement and pessimism.

In Antiquity, as the work of Artemidoro confirms, the dream had a cosmic dimension related to the mystical tradition and the collectivity. However, the psychoanalytic conception, influential in Western society since the first decades of the twentieth century, contributed to fixing the perception of dreaming as a private event that concerns only the individual dimension. On the other hand, neuroscience favors a biological approach to dreaming, even though Sidarta Ribeiro is a dissonant voice in this environment. The Brazilian neuroscientist relates dreams and memory since we dream as a way of remembering what we are and what we do. According to him, we also dream to prepare ourselves for the future.

The conceptual project started from a dream and proceeded, at first, with the help of Internet search engines. The dream experience allowed a deviation in the search algorithms using private intuition. This methodology contradicts the rational tendency behind the “improvement” of the artificial intelligence of these mechanisms. This effort included bibliographic research and the construction of a web page that will contain more information about the work in development. The process also allowed the idealization of Oneirographia, which is a 3D interactive online environment that is under construction. In this work, the interactor can build or simulate his digital dreams with data input that´ll randomly create a sensory ambiance. First, the user will fill a form and, then it will be possible to choose between a dream or a nightmare to define the atmosphere of the digital experience. After that, the user will navigate between images, words, and sounds, and, at any moment, he can choose to capture photographs of the digital dream to download or share them on the social media networks.

Dreams hold relevant messages and memories that we cannot access otherwise. However, its encrypted language makes it difficult to understand, and usually, during the wake, we quickly forget what we have dreamed of. Oneirographia aims to facilitate the remembering, reimagining, and sharing of this important aspect of our lives.