The Oneirobiologist’s Field Guide
Opening Reception
God always punishes us for what we can’t imagine.
—Stephen King, “Duma Key”
A DREAM-WALKER’S COMPANION TO COMMON ENCOUNTERS OF THE SLEEPING MIND
Wren Van Deusen’s A Dream-Walker’s Companion to Common Encounters of the Sleeping Mind transforms recurring nightmares into the field notes of a fictional scientist, documenting the strange creatures that inhabit her dreams. The exhibition brings together eight illustrated journal pages, a puppet, and an animation in an immersive, darkened gallery installation.
Artist Statement
My interest in the uncanny was sparked by an early fascination with my father’s old D&D monster manuals, my mother’s vast collection of animal skulls, a lingering carrion pile in the backyard, and a healthy dose of halloween enthusiasm. Monsters remained at the forefront of my imaginative play throughout childhood, and my dreams have been full of them ever since.
For as long as I can remember, I have been plagued by vivid nightmares that occur almost bi-weekly. This has affected me with varying severity over the years. To cope, I have filled journal after journal with extensive recollections of what I see at night.
For this project, I spent time researching medieval bestiaries, speculative evolution, and creature design, alongside countless deep dives into my own dream journals. The result is a curated collection of illustrations representing 14 of my most well-remembered nightmares. This has helped to recontextualize that which has frightened me, giving me the chance to look at each through a different lens: that of a fictional scientist whose field journal and sketches documents the biology and behavior of each beast as if the creatures were being observed in real time.
—Wren Van Deusen
About the Artist
Wren Van Deusen grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of the east coast. Her family specializes in outdoor exploration and education, baking bread, making soup, and arguing about what movie to watch on Friday nights. Wren excels at hoarding, being excited making box mac and cheese, remembering her dreams, and playing bananagrams. She studied animation and ecology at Bennington College to pursue a lifelong dream of exploring the woods, and making art.