Sleeping Our Way to Consciousness: Jim Findlay’s Dream of the Red Chamber
Bertie Ferdman
TDR: The Drama Review June 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1162/dram_a_00455 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | The text frames Jim Findlay's Dream of the Red Chamber as a site-specific performance that invites audiences to sleep, positioning it against the current vogue for immersive and participatory art. It asks whether such a sleep-inducing performance can make participants conscious of their own letting go. |
Abstract
At a moment when site-specific installations, urban soundwalks, immersive environments, and participatory experiences have (yet again) become popular, Jim Findlay’s Dream of the Red Chamber stands in sharp contrast, embracing what seems like the most passive state—sleep. Is it possible, via a sleep-inducing performance, to become conscious of our own letting go?