Running Head: THE FUNCTION OF SYMBOLS IN DREAMS

The Function of Symbols in Dreams Jessica Masino Drass Drexel University

THE FUNCTION OF SYMBOLS IN DREAMS It is difficult to articulate what we do not know. Most of our time is spent on what we do know and a great deal of energy is spent on proving that we know it. It is

more comfortable to focus on what is known, because the unknown, quite frankly, can be a pretty frightening thing. Shaun McNiff proclaimed that art is a way of knowing, and spoke about the power of using ones own artmaking as a way of knowing and a path that leads to understanding. These words were very present in my mind as I sat down to create art for this project. I focused on the ideas of dreams and symbolism and let those ideas guide me in my creation. As I was working I kept thinking about the function of dreams and a question that kept coming up over and over is How do they work? I was having trouble synthesizing the concept of dreams as having both biological and psychological functions. Wrapping my mind around that concept was especially difficult for me. The other concept that I was having difficulty grasping was the ideas of symbols in dreams, especially in reference to the idea of seemingly trivial or unimportant images representing complex emotional issues. I have always been able to make associations and interpretations of dreams I have had as well as dreams of people close to me, but I tended to focus only on the manifest content of the dream and relating it to the persons current situation in life. Through the readings and the class discussions I saw how these symbols could be connected not only to repressed unconscious thoughts, but also on a grander scale to universal themes and archetypes. The art that I created makes use of multiple layers of color and images. I knew I specifically wanted to use images in this piece to represent the idea that parts of ourselves are sewn together in dreams, usually not in any sense of logical order. I started with a

THE FUNCTION OF SYMBOLS IN DREAMS piece of paper that had three different test prints on it, placed randomly on the page. These images represent three generations of my family- my grandmother in her nursing graduation photo, her father in a photo from when he was running for office in Philadelphia, and a photo of me with my brother and sister in front of our elementary school. Using these images started me thinking about the function of memory in dream imagery. The transfers are all done in various states of clarity, which suggests the deterioration of memories over time. The paper is also painted in a yellow/brownish color to suggest that it is old and decaying. The older a memory is, the harder it is to

bring into complete awareness. Once we have an experience its as if it gets tucked away in a vault, and the more doors that are shut in front of it, the harder it is to remember. What I find most interesting about the clarity of the transfers is that the most recent photo (me with my siblings) is the hardest to see, while the oldest photo (my greatgrandfather) is the clearest transfer. This photo was taken well before I was born and even though I do have memories of my great-grandfather, he died in 1983 and I didnt know him as well as the people in the other images. Strangely, when I look at his image in this picture I have a sense of knowing and understanding him that I cant quite explain. This makes me think about the idea of being born with this kind of knowing and reaction to images similar to the concept of the collective unconscious and Jungs theory that during times of transition or trauma the collective will present itself as a guide or an aid in understanding. Also, during dreams, very old and repressed memories and experiences can be brought up unconsciously. On the bottom left of the page is an image of a brain, which represents the

THE FUNCTION OF SYMBOLS IN DREAMS biological aspect of dreams. I find it fascinating how physical symptoms and external stimuli can have an impact on dream material. The image shows how the brain is still working when we are sleeping, and that our senses never go to sleep. The green lines

represent impulses being sent from the brain to produce dream material. These impulses are spread throughout the page, looking a little like nerves or veins. They send out information but also make connections. To me this speaks to the concept of condensation- how one thing can stand for many things, but also how an image in a dream can quickly change and morph into something else. The more that I stare at these lines in my picture, the more I see in them. They go from nerves to branches to roots to pathways. I see things growing on them as well as the motion and energy of them reacting to each other. The idea of making connections is also another important theme in this piece. The lines make actual connections between some of the images, but they also go off on tangents and create motion throughout the picture. By looking at this piece I can see how a function of symbols in dreams is to aid in making connections- connections between our own thoughts, feelings and actions, but also between ourselves and the other members of the human race. These symbols function not only on a personal level (grandmother, great-grandfather) but also on a universal level (nurse, old man). The symbols need to be understood in a personal context before they can be explained on an archetypal level. It is also important not to just take symbols at face value, either. For example, if I have a dream about my grandmother I need to explore her function in that dream not only as an important person in my life but look at what else could she be representing- memories of my childhood, a woman of strength and integrity, or maybe

THE FUNCTION OF SYMBOLS IN DREAMS someone who chose a helping profession.

There are other components of this image that represent the working through of repressed emotional energy that happens in dreams. Sometimes this can be clear, but many times these images are vague and abstract, as they are in this piece. The most readable image is one is of a girl in a field looking toward the sun. This image has a sense of ambiguity that is seen in dreams- is she running toward something or running away from something? This image was used to represent the feelings of either just falling asleep or just waking up from sleep, where it is unclear what is real and what was part of the dream. The image on the top left is a blurred vision of three people, with the girl in the middle staring right at the viewer. The image itself is a bit haunting, and represents the ideas of nightmares, or unpleasant thoughts and feelings that havent been resolved in the psyche. The bottom of the picture has two abstract images as well as thick, dark paint spread across the page. This represents the emotional sludge that has not been worked out and released by our psyche. By creating this art I have a clearer picture of the different ways dreams work. I can see the connection between the biological impulses and psychological components of dreams, as well as the way symbols function on various levels in dreams. These concepts of dreams have been greater understood by peeling back the layers and diving into the unknown through the use of art and imagery