Escitalopram Dreams, podcast, 2018

Master thesis at the Stettin's Art Academy. Thesis advisors: Agata Zbylut, Łukasz Jastrubczak.

Dreams have always been the object of fascination with both artists and scientists. Even though for many, they contain a very romantic aspect, one cannot forget about their biological compound. There are many hypotheses about how dreams are made to be. The most popular by far is Hobson’s and McCarley’s theory - Activation Synthesis Hypothesis, according to which dreams are a result of physiological reactions in a brain. It has been established, that the human brain is active even during sleep.

Accepting the biological aspect of dreams, we may ask ourselves if it is possible to modify and/or manipulate the impulses that lay at their source. It seems that vivid dreams can be a side effect of different medications.

Escitalopram is an organic compound and, at least for now, one of the most selective serotonin inhibitors. It is a component of many antidepressants used in treating mood disorders. I used it briefly when dealing with the fallout of thyroid operation and was fairly happy with its results. Vivid dreams were the only side effect I encountered. They were exhausting and unsettling, but still a small price to pay for being able to function in everyday life. There was however a matter of control. However I would like to, dreams are something I cannot control and this pushed me to focus on this subject in my thesis.

I created a series of podcasts - each postact is a dream. I recorded each dream as though I was telling listeners what they are doing at the very moment. This was the only modification of the dreams. Other than that, I reported them exactly as they were, even if their content was in some way shameful or difficult for me to speak of. Introducing a change in narration, as well as making an informed decision regarding sharing my dreams with others allowed me to have some control over this otherwise uncontrollable part of my life.

The podcasts premiered online every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00 AM for three months leading to my diploma.

The music used in the podcasts was created especially for this project by Mikołaj Tkacz. At this time project is only available in Polish.

In addition to podcasts, I conducted a few live performances, telling my dreams to various people in various settings - exhibitions openings, a beach, inside of the friend’s car on our way from Zakopane to Warsaw.