Dreams: Beyond Time and Space
There is an interesting description of a dream in Marcel Proust’s monumental novel, In Search of Lost Time. The depiction starts with this sentence: “When a man is asleep, he holds in a circle around him the chain of the hours, the sequence of the years, and the order of universe.”[1] In a world of dreams, time and space keep expanding and shrinking around people, and they can encounter numerous unexpected scenes of past, present, and future. There might be tears, laughter, and inspiration. At the same time, they are healed from mental traumas and given the insights for the future. For this design project, I would like to explore the mystery of dreams in order to reveal the idea of how they are generated according to the mechanism of universe.

Effects of Dreams
It is not academically proved yet how dreams are made and where they come from. Some distinguished scholars like Freud highlighted the significance of dreams in psychological way. However, there are still many questions about dreams that Freud or Carl Jung's theories could not give answers. Those are some vivid dreams that leave strong impressions like healing from mental traumas, getting a sense from current situations, receiving wisdom and insights for the near future. Some might argue that not all dreams give those effects, but certain dreams are so perfect as they are that there is no need of psychoanalysis or interpretation. As soon as these dreams are experienced, they are complete and the profound meaning is realized by dreamers immediately.

Assumptions: How Dreams are Generated
There is an interesting research on the connection between the human brain and the universe. Mark Miller, a neuroscientist of Brandeis University, discovered that human brain cells are similar to a large cluster of galaxies. Furthermore, human brain shows even more complexity than galaxies. There are 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, but over a trillion neurons and gliocytes are in one human brain. According to fractal cosmology, which has developed from Leibniz’s Monadology in the 17th century, even the smallest particle that constitutes human could be the infinite universe of tiny, invisible other species, and the universe we are belong to could be also a brain of one gigantic being.[2] This assumption that we have a similar brain to this gigantic being can be supported by Bible, which says the Creator made mankind in his image.[3] In that sense of fractal cosmology, in our unconsciousness, it is possible that we transcend our scale of time and space. Another cosmology called “the fractal-holographic universe” insists that singularity, also as known as a black hole, is no longer a pit hole devouring everything, rather it is a perfect balance of nothingness creating infinite data constantly. Moreover, according to that theory, this feature of singularity is essential and universal characteristic of all creatures.[4] These different theories explain the mysteries of dreams in terms of their correlation with universe. Sleep simulates death, complete nothingness, which generates a new radiation of information, dreams.

Goals and Forms of Project
My design project will be expressed based on these findings on dreams and universe. The goal of the project is to help the viewers get a sense of dream generation, and inspire them to reevaluate the effects of dreams on their lives. The form will be an art installation, which has kinetic elements moving according to the interaction with the user. Based on combination of complex, and aesthetic geometric shapes, various movements representing the radiation of dreams will be experienced by audience. The shapes will symbolize “a creation from nothing,” which is the essential, and ironical finding of dreams. Also they will be referred to various geometric shapes presenting elements of universe.

Design Values

• Abstract Concept to an Actual Form

  The abstract idea of dreams should be expressed as an actual form in this project. The form should be visible, meaningful, and aesthetic. The sharp concentration on the idea itself through the whole process is essential because it can be easily distracted by some forms from research which actually are not related to the idea.

• Invitation to Calmness

  The users will be invited to experience the artwork one by one. It is a call to rest and calmness. The more a user feel relaxed, the interaction will be more vigorous.

• Illustration of Nothingness

  The atmosphere of the artwork will be silent, calm, and still. The sense of vacuum and nothingness will be expressed through the visual and interactive elements.

• A Participant and Audience as the Third Party

  During one user is participating to the actual interaction, the rest of the audience will watch him or her and get the sense by looking at the whole picture. This project is intended to give different values to each party, the value for participants, and the one for the rest of the audience.

• Mesmerizing Movement

  The geometric shapes will be moving according to interaction, and the movement has a meaning of dream creation. The combination of shape and movement will be mesmerizing audience.

Challenges
A key challenge is figuring out how the user make a trigger a movement, how this mechanism actually work, and how this artwork deliver the idea of dreams. The idea so far is like this: when the user feels relaxed, which means getting closer to sleep mode, the movement of installation is more active. Another challenge is how this abstract idea can be materialized in the most effective, and persuasive way. More research on relations between psychology and visual, and also geometry derived from nature and universe are needed.

The Purpose of Project
It is true that not every person enjoys their own dreams, but there is a certain moment of dreams coming unexpectedly from beyond time and space. That moment is the key factor providing vitality of life to people who experienced that. I believe a dream is not disturbing rest, rather it reinforces rest. Through those dreams, people will receive full energy and refreshment for that day. I would like to say a dream is one of the most effective psychotherapy methods. I hope people discover treasures of dreams that they did not realize and have the opportunity to rethink the authentic beauty of dreams through this project.