Setting the Subconscious is a project exploring how we can use the representation of the collective subconscious within set design as a tool for liberation.
My ambition for this project was to make dreams tangible, allow the subconscious to infiltrate the material world, and help us think more openly and creatively, using dreams to free ourselves from the constraints of modern day society's control and rationality. I showcased a collective subconscious experience through the use of set design.
Dreams were collected from 6 participants on one particular night - the 21st of March 2022 - and reconstructed as a set, in which the 6 participants entered, and reenacted their dreams collectively.
There were four stages involved in the experiment:
Stage 1: Dream Reenactment Collection Data - where the dreams were collected.
Stage 2: Dream Reenactment Organisation Categories - where the dreams were sectioned into different categories (sound, actions, settings, objects, and script).
Stage 3: Collective Dream Reenactment - this is where the participants reenacted their dreams collectively.
Stage 4: Collective Dream Object Reintegration - where each participant took an object from only their dream home, to reintegrate their subconscious concept into a physical object that can then become conscious.
By using set design to represent theatre, I am allowing the participants to become spectators and actors, allowing them to delve into their subconscious and explore an experience unlike their familiar consciousness. The value of dreams as a creative learning source is implemented within the set design and the re-enactment, and as dreams naturally critique the ordinary and conventional, it is a form of liberation for the participant. It allows them to use their subconscious as a tool, to find new links, and forge new creative ideas, all while overthrowing the constraints of rationality that society has placed on them.
