Dream or Nightmare?

My entry for the "Sweet Dreams?" contest by Helewedis: , [link]

Description of piece

So the whole piece is mounted on a piece of card covered in papier maché (or attempted) newspaper scraps. Then the keywords from my dream are placed on the top in different media. The idea was to keep it black and white for effect, and to emphasis the role of language, with just the most important section in the centre in red.

I tried to use as many different black pens/pencils and shapes as possible for the writing. The nicer parts of the dream (rehearsals, excited) and the more mundane descriptions are kept to the outside, with the more emotional, traumatic sections spiraling inwards to the centre.

The more emotionally charged the word/phrase, the more effort was put into it. The three around the centre are embroidered. 'Regret' is cross-stitched on white Aida cloth, 'Ex-Boyfriend' is embroidered straight onto white paper (I traced the holes onto it beforehand) and 'in the shower with another woman' is embroidered onto some fine white material (I traced the writing first).

I tried to attach the writing in as many ways as possible, too. Two of the phrases are pinned on, but with different coloured pins and in a different arrangements. Most of the other words are glued on, but 'SHOCK' which I made on a typewriter, is sellotaped over. 'Disgust' was made by writing in permanent marker over and over on a sheet of paper, and then using the page beneath it where the ink had bled through.

Dream details

I really wanted to do this competition, and had a good idea of what I'd do, but I didn't have a dream to use until the other day. It was one of those dreams that started off well, but by the time you wake up you're relieved that it wasn't real. And of course afterwards it seems ridiculous that you ever thought it was real at all.

It started off with me staying in some hotel (I think this is because I saw Inception recently) while preparing for a show (which I am really doing) and rehearsing. I had a lot of images of the hotel, hence all the descriptive words, and everything seemed to be going well, I was having a good time. I knew my ex was there, but we're pretty good friends, so that didn't seem weird or awkward either.

Then I happened to be going back to my room, and somehow (it's a dream, it's not supposed to be coherent), I saw my ex through his door. He was in the shower, a cubicle (I only saw him from the chest-up, as he was leaning round the door), and he was inviting another woman into the shower with him, clearly sexually. And I was really, massively upset, and felt hugely betrayed, and I ran off. Then I woke up, and was really upset for a few minutes until I realised that it hadn't been real, at which point I was really relieved.

Anyway, this is my entry.