It’s fascinating that dreams take us to other places, they allow us to wonder into other worlds and change our world just by wandering around in other realities to the extent that the individual can imagine. Dreaming can take many forms, from simply daydreaming and relaxing in one’s head, to making a life-changing decision, political changes, and even ending in a horrific nightmare that started as a harmless dream for a better life.

Dreamcatchers come from Native American and First Nation cultures, namely the “Ojibwe” culture. They were originally created by a spider woman, known as “Asibikaashi”, who made them as protective amulets for children. Originally they were not explicitly associated with dreams, but rather as an apotropaic charm to ward off harm or evil influences, such as deflecting misfortune or the evil eye, and were made from willow hoops and sinew or plant cordage. In the 1960s and 1970s it was adopted by the Pan-Indian Movement and became a symbol of unity between different Indian cultures and a general symbol of identification with Indian or First Nation cultures. In the 1980s it became a marketable, over-commercialised object outside the Pan-Indian communities, bearing little resemblance to the traditional styles that were being appropriated and misused by non-Natives.

The absurdity of the turn this object has taken is the point of departure for this installation. Nowadays it is sold everywhere in decorative or esoteric contexts. What used to be made by hand from materials found in nature is now produced very cheaply and quickly in a factory. What was once a protective amulet for children has become a decorative object. How quickly can people turn the most beautiful things into a nightmare?

The installation reveals this unpleasant and disgusting part of the industry that has appropriated this object for a profitable reason. It also imagines what the over-manufactured dreamcatcher would or should really look like. The material used to create the pieces is anything but natural. The plastic moss balls and astroturf are only a replica of what they resemble. The repulsive and harsh materials, such as the chain-link fence and the wire that surrounds it, resemble the brutal reality that the object is meant to repress, especially in an esoteric context. Because dreaming also has a lot to do with unfulfilled dreams and unwanted consequences. With intentions that simply didn’t turn out the way they were meant to.