GRANTEE
My project Dream-Work in the War is an audio collage about dreams that Ukrainians have had during the war. I want to show how the war penetrates into people’s unconscious, fracturing and rearranging it and demonstrate how people cope with war-related pressure.
As an allegedly chaotic collection of fragments with a subtle sense that needs to be restored, collage is an ideal form for a documentary about dreams. I came to this conclusion after studying theories on meanings and functions of dreams. Neuroscientist Mark Solms showed that we experience dreams due to the secretion of dopamine, the brain’s chemical for motivation. He confirmed the Freudian idea that despite their randomness, dreams reveal what drives us. They highlight the feelings that underlie our days and nights. If these emotions are negative, dreams help us process them. The method of dream interpretation is still widely used in psychotherapeutic practices. I believe that my documentary could have not only cultural but also therapeutic value. Culture that helps us deal with our trauma is an asset in times of war.