video: 2880  ×  2160 / 23s loop animation: Laura Elsener music: Bradley Tangonan

Someone once told me the way to tell if you’re dreaming is to ask yourself the question: How did I get here?

If you can’t answer this, you’re in a dream.

In this AI-generated koi pond, the fish emerge and recede in and out of hazy existence.

Why can’t I recognize reality? Is this a dream, a simulation, a memory? How did we get here?