“A YEAR OF PRISMATIC LIGHT”
Part II of IV : “Hypnopompia”
In 2022, I would embark on a yearlong project with my art. Previously, I would frequently create 3-part miniseries to integrate my art into instagram’s 3-post grid as this would give me opportunities to explore a variety of different aesthetics and ideas with each series. This year however, I decided to begin a longer four-part series that would change with the seasons. This concept was vaguely inspired by The Caretaker’s “Everything At The End Of Time”. Where that musical project consisted of six parts that would gradually portray and explore the dark progression of dementia with each stage, I wanted to go with a more... “optimistic” route.
I’ve always considered my art to be very introspective and reflective of my mental health. I wanted to convey the journey of depression, acceptance and healing with this series. Each season would be a new progressive step in that journey beginning with the negative feelings associated with anxiety and depression and gradually moving to more positive feelings in the journey of healing. Each part would consist of a specific aesthetic and that would carry on until that part was complete and I would then move on to the next part of the series. Each of the four parts would consist of 18 pieces, making up a total of 72 pieces for this entire project. This project would be a personal challenge for myself to focus on a single aesthetic for a longer period of time than I'm normally used to.
To put it plainly: the series would gradually shift from dark to light in terms of aesthetics and subject matter.
The hypnopompic state (or hypnopompia) is the state of consciousness leading out of sleep, a term coined by the psychical researcher Frederic Myers. Hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations are frequently accompanied by sleep paralysis, which is a state wherein one is consciously aware of one's surroundings but unable to move or speak.
"Hypnopompia" is the second part of this four part series. I felt that the meaning of the term was very fitting thematically with the overall idea of self healing. In this instance, the subject is becoming aware and "waking up" to their situation. Because it's so early on in this journey, the subject matter is still somewhat bleak and hopeless. They may not have even chosen to take the journey to be better quite yet but they're now realizing that this is something that can be changed if they really want to make that choice. It's a long process and for many people it is not an easy one but it is a crucial piece of the overall journey. The imagery I went with this part consisted of very hazy and dreamy pieces that complimented the floral subject matter that I felt was fitting for the Spring season.
