Image Credit: Good Bicycle, Bad Bicycle. Watercolour on Langton paper, 148 x 105 mm by Juliet Scott.
Part 2 Social Dreaming #4: Tuesday 7th February: Wellcome Collection Reading Room
Facilitation and write-up: Coreene Archer and Heather Stradling
15 people attended and all stayed
10 dreams were presented and over 35 associations made.
The Matrix
The first dream presented was about time travel, how we did it, a series of moves, trying to play a set of notes or dance steps. In workman-like boots going up steps with the last step solid. And this forced quantum tunnelling – travel in time.
The second dream featured going to a concert, singing with a friend, wanting to dress up, and look nice. Putting on working boots and ballerina dress, wanted to put on make-up, but put it on wrong and looked clown-like. Climbing up steps or a ladder, got to the top of the steps and wasn’t sure if she would or wouldn’t be able to sing. But it was the boots that stood out.
Dream three was in a jumbo jet, the seats were not arranged in the usual way. It was a short flight, large open spaces, a village hall. There was jollity and singing, boisterous behaviour by a group of men, one had a guitar. The dreamer was getting worried about their boisterous behaviour, one of the men took their top clothes off, but they seemed to be having a great time.
The fourth dream had a jumbo jet in an airport. There was some problem with the plane ticket, was talking to someone about a new ticket, but focused on ironing and carefully removing the creases. Missed the flight, didn’t get to travel.
Key associations made included some around time travel, safety moving around and at airports. People talked of things not working linked to trying to play a tune, dance or sing. Associations with freedom of movement and paralysis.
The next dream shared was a fragment of a dream. A house was being renovated, a boy staring at a white wall with a plug socket. He knew his dad had wired it but that it was wrong. He was paralysed and perplexed looking at it but not sure why. Dad was looking at the back garden. His dad had his back to him.
A big theme was around powerlessness. Conversation focused on Brexit and Trump. Who has the power? Who puts people in power? And who is responsible for the outcomes?
The next dream involved writing a book, couldn’t read the pages. If she could read the pages, she could write the book but as she had the thought, the pages went blank. Pen coming in and saying ‘Not for you’.
This was followed by a dream about lying in bed, the alarm goes off, and a hand is pushing the dreamer’s head towards the bed. Their hands and feet were not allowing them to get up. The fear she could really feel but didn’t know if the holding was benign or not. She had to surrender and get up. Someone was holding her until the dreamer came back.
The last dream had a few people naked, enclosed in paradise. It was beautiful. Those in power in a stately home looking with binoculars from their balconies at those in paradise. The dreamer was crawling around on her hands and knees, so that those in power could only see her bum. There was a sense of power. If they could find others, find a place, they could be their own, could be free. When the dreamer saw others, she wouldn’t speak, but rub and roll. The primary focus was to find a place to hide.
Many associations were made around being seen, surveillance, what was truth and what wasn’t, creativity, transcending what’s been imposed, being stateless and trapped by the boundaries of the nations we’ve created. Absence of control and taking control that would last only for a moment came through, as did a sense of creativity and searching for hope. The idea that using our creative potential, using our dreams to take power may be a response. Moving into the review section, the matrix discussed the power of dreams, how they are experienced whether bodily or through our visual memory, how they can be used to dream the future, and the meanings that can be found within them.
Next Social Dreaming Matrix #5 will be held on Wednesday 22nd February 4-5.15pm in the Wellcome Collection Reading Room.