Sophie Bullock

'Mirror. Screen. Dream' exists through a year of conceptually led experiments to explore cinema's hypnotic qualities, the spectators relationship to cinema, Brechtian theories of breaking the fourth wall as a means of bringing conscious awareness to the cinematic situation, and 'perceptual transference', in where the spectators conscious brain activity switches over to the subconscious when watching films. I've worked primarily with utilising found, archive and second-hand material, which I've found is appropriate to explore cinema's limits and place in art, and to create my own interpretations with the ready-made through montage. Conceptually, the decision to use perspex sheets was for its transparent qualities, which distort and reflect the projected image and is representative of the fluid and indefinite nature of the subconscious mind and dreams. So, when exploring the installation the sheets evoke the paradoxical feeling of how dreams function. In that the dream operates as a hyper-real experience in its duration, conversely, upon awakening our recollection of dreams is fragmented. The sheets similar to the dream experience also hold the image in a delicate form and are tangible, however formally, the sheet's reflective qualities creates an immediate immersive environment by the quality of the rotating clear sheets which throw the films around the walls. These fragmented images are symbolic of the dream recollection process, as the sheets and projected images reflect on the other sheets also, it is reminiscent of the utilisation of images from our experiences that enter our dreams. The eyes facing the screen and spinning round the walls, reflect on Christian Metz's theories of the cinema screen as a mirror, and thus a form of identification; as we relate with the characters on screen.