Project 3: Brain Zzzz’s (Preliminary Research and Personal Project)

Research the Science of Sleep (article/web/blog/video/image)

In researching the science of sleep, I discovered the Stages of Sleep lesson taught by Artists in Medicine. As a quick summary of the process, Stages N1, N2, and N3 are part of the non-REM sleep stages, while the R stage is REM sleep. Non-REM stands for non-rapid eye movement, and REM stands for rapid eye movement. Through the night, our body cycles through these four stages; After the R stage, our body usually goes back to the N1 stage and cycles through again until we wake up. During sleep, our body grows/recovers by producing and breaking down proteins. More information can be found on the website: https://www.artistsinmed.com/lessons/stages-of-sleep

Research artists/poets/writers/performers who explore sleep in their work

Fine art photographer Nicolas Bruno explores the ideas of sleep paralysis in his works and photography. One that captivated me the most was the one posted below. His artworks are ominously scary and convey a cohesive series in outdoor settings and (generally) faceless subjects. More of his work can be found here: https://www.ignant.com/2016/02/22/haunting-fine-art-photographs-exploring-sleep-paralysis/#:~:text=Fine%20art%20photographer%20Nicolas%20Bruno,take%20place%20within%20the%20dreams.%E2%80%9D

Sleep Paralysis Photography by Nicolas Bruno

Midnight, Lose My Mind (2023)

Midnight, Lose My Mind (2023) depicts insomnia using digital painting tools. Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty with falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. Having a lack of sleep can cause the creation of dark undereye bags. This is because fluids settle in the tissue beneath your eyes, and getting too little sleep can cause your blood vessels to leak and mix with those fluids, leading to dark circles. So, I showed this idea by having someone in a sleeping pose in bed, with their head lying on the pillow. Their face is coated with a bunch of eyes and dark circles to convey this feeling of incapability of sleeping. The color schemes delve into blues and violets and may look painterly or washed out. The overload of eyes conveys the idea of those sleepless nights and the willingness to fall asleep. I pulled inspiration from Lorde’s Melodrama, from the album art to the title to the colors she describes the album as.

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