Daydreaming Awake: Navigating The World of Pseudo-reality

Introduction 

Pseudo-reality is an approach in which a changed image of reality is portrayed as true. Pseudo-reality is an apparent reality that is a desilution. It is also known as pseudorealism in art. Pseudo-reality throughout this project is linked to zoning out, spacing out, and the challenge of finding the balance between reality and dreams. This informative essay explores the concept of daydreaming and pseudo-reality, examining the challenge of finding the balance between reality and dreams.

The challenge portrayed and discussed is finding the balance between reality and dreams. Finding out what reality is and how do we perceive it? Is it really what we see in front of us, or is it our mind inventing a fake scenario?

Daydreaming and pseudo-reality

As human beings, it is normal to experience dreams when sleeping, but dreams can also occur in our day-to-day lives. It happens when our mind spaces out and we lose track of time. Then our minds travel far away into a fake reality.

Some of the fake realities presented may be a pleasant and comforting world, a preferred world. Anything is possible here. In other words, they can represent day-to-day scenarios, but with a twist. A twist, like a holiday place or a place where we have physically travelled before. Other fictitious scenarios include fairytale realms and altered technological universes where anyone can be and do whatever they want.

On the other hand, some of the fake scenarios that we experience can also lead to experiencing a third-person view. This is more of a negative experience as one feels as if they are looking at the situation through a glass. This experience makes the person space out so much that it is very unpleasing and hard to stop.

Fairytales are an example of where dreams might lead, as fairytales have been embedded in our culture and passed through centuries as storytelling. Fairy tales can vary depending on the person's likes and understanding of them. They can be inspired by movies, books, or podcasts.

The artists for this project are Kat Fedora, Trippy Draws, and Robert Longo. The influence of similar styles means that they are all perfectly linked with my project. Kat Fedora's work is based on dreams and a preferred world. Her art style connects to an altered reality that mixes and matches with outer space and fairytale landscapes. Her paintings tell stories about the place where the mysteries of the universe meet gently with nature and humankind. Moreover, Trippy Draw's art focuses on the psychedelic side, where reality and dreams combine. Her work, featuring vibrant and bold colours with few details, shows how simple it is to create art using just colours and glitter. The phycadellic side of her art is based on outer space, related to astronauts, aliens, and planets. Finally, Robert Longo's art is mainly focused on the body moving. The people that were photographed had to jump and pose, so they represented the series of men in the city that Robert Longo portrayed. As he has done black and white photography, it relates to the astronauts that I have done throughout the project because of the black and white colours and the body jumping poses.

Representing reality through reflections on mirrors is a connection to what we know as reality from our point of view. Looking at ourselves through a mirror is the only time we can see our perception of our true selves in real-time. The reflection in the mirror is caused by the reflection of light that bounces into one's eyes. In this way, we can see ourselves in the mirror. The reflection in the mirror is an important point throughout this project, as it is how we see reality and understand it. It is the way that our brain works to place us in the most realistic and pleasant environment, where human beings can flourish and learn throughout life.

Connecting dreams to reality mean linking them to space, as in distancing ourselves from the real world and understanding what is happening to us and in that moment. Dreaming does not just happen when one sleeps; it can also happen in our day-to-day activities. It is when our brain, in a way, turns foggy and stops functioning. During this time, anything that happens is not taken into account, so amnesia is a side effect. During this time, our brain escapes and we are left with the feeling of an out-of-body experience. This experience can last hours or even days. In most common cases, one can never remember what happened or where the brain switched off during this experience, but in some cases, it has been said that dreaming happens. Negative and positive dreams come out of this experience.

The Astronauts are a resource and a tool that I have used throughout my project as a metaphor for explaining the challenges of pseudo-reality from a personal point of view. The astronauts are sent to space to a very lonely place where time seems to slow down compared to the earth's time. They are isolated from their friends and families back on earth. They represent dissociation and spacing out into an outer universe throughout the project.

Throughout this project, I have drawn them in different positions that transmit different meanings. They are the closest metaphors that I could ever use to represent dissociation, so the meanings behind their positions are key to understanding the project.

First of all, the colour is a key point, as it is just black and white. These two colours represent the meaning of simplicity. They balance each other out perfectly in a way that the figure drawn stands on its own. Using colours was not very relevant as these two colours make a bold statement on their own.

Furthermore, the poses that the astronauts are in emphasise the outline of this project. From carrying the world on its back just like Atlas in Greek mythology to punching or meditating between the planets, all show how dissociation happens. Carrying the world on your back means having the weight of all the judgements, criticisms, and ideas about how the world works on your back as a guideline of how one should act. This is a heavy load that we all carry around. Also, being physically and mentally ill can compromise your own body and put a limit on how much one can handle on its own.

Another metaphor that I used in this project is the moon phases. This metaphor is linked to outer space and is used in the same context as the astronauts. The meaning of them is the passing of time and calling what is happening at that moment a phase. The way that the moon changes each month and goes through the different eight moon phases when we dissociate our emotions, they have a similar cycle. As people, our emotions change constantly. Even throughout just one day, we might experience several different moods. In this way, we can show the people around us how we are feeling at that moment without the use of words.

After all, dissociation isn't all that different from the moon phases. It starts when the brain switches off, and then it travels, experiencing all sorts of emotions and images created. It is like it is travelling and finding the right path to go on. After that experience, it is very hard to remember ad put into words what exactly happened. When this happens the most normal diagnosis for this is called amnesia.

The challenges of pseudo-reality are based on the contrast between reality and dreams, which is the main point discussed throughout this project. How we see and perceive reality through the reflections of mirrors is linked to us as human beings perceiving the world around us.

The challenges of pseudo-reality are based on the contrast between reality and dreams, which is the main point discussed throughout this project. How we see and perceive reality through the reflections in mirrors is linked to how we, as human beings, perceive the world around us. Daydreaming as a positive term related to escapism happens in quiet reading areas, bookstores, gardens, or just sitting on a terrace drinking coffee. At this moment, our brain travels to an alternative universe where everything is good and peaceful as it allows the mind to rest.

Sometimes, negative dissociation can happen when one is in a social gathering. This is usually triggered by social anxiety or other mental illnesses that can lead to a person feeling very uncomfortable in their surroundings. When the brain switches off inexplicably and uncontrollably, the person just stares into the abyss. This has the potential to irritate those around us and cause serious misinterpretation of the situation. In this case, these events have to be spoken about as it is important to understand the people around us.

This project started with the use of acrylics and pen sketches, as both art forms are very visual and easy to understand. The idea of black and white contrasting the blue in the background is intriguing. The blue represents outer space and is linked to the astronauts. It is also linked to confusion and emotional sadness when we dissociate. On the other hand, the black and white colours used are a link to the astronaut and, in simpler terms, us humans, as we perceive life in black and white. The good and bad experiences that come with it make us who we are.

Finally, the other medium that I have used is called printmaking. I used this method as it is also a visual art form and very easy to understand. I altered a couple of them and experimented with different materials on top to add detail to the prints. All of them are linked to the contrast between reality and dreams and the challenges of pseudo-reality.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the concept of pseudo-reality explores the idea of a changed image of reality portrayed as true. This project has linked pseudo-reality to zoning out, spacing out, and finding the balance between reality and dreams. Daydreaming and pseudo-reality are normal human experiences that happen when the mind spaces out, leading to the perception of a fake reality. The challenge is finding the balance between reality and dreams and understanding how we perceive it. Reflections in mirrors play an important role in representing reality from our point of view, and space is used as a metaphor throughout the project to represent dissociation and spacing out. The use of astronauts in different positions and black and white colours perfectly represents the meaning of simplicity. Overall, the project highlights the complexities of the human mind and how it perceives reality and pseudo-reality.