"Slumber with a key" was inspired by Dali's process, and I wanted to represent my own take on the fantastical dreams of a semi waking state, to tell a narrative of retrieving these images and diving into different states.

Dalí's "slumber with a key" method involved taking short naps in a chair while holding a spoon or key. As he began to drift into sleep, the object would drop from his hand, waking him. In this semi-conscious state, he accessed his subconscious mind, drawing inspiration from the resulting dreamlike imagery for his surreal art.

Dali used symbolism heavily and frequently in his work, so this factored in my decisions with what images to have appear in this work. Including the use of veils and sheer curtains to separate dimensions and states of waking and dreaming.

The idea for a scrolling canvas comes from the idea of the Zoetrope. I pictured in my mind this frozen scene of a moment between moments where the lines between reality and the dream are blurred, and this perpetual loop of cycles through cycles of waking from a dream.

This work was created with the assistance of AI, source images created in Midjourney and Adobe Photoshop generative content, and was edited together in Adobe Premiere.

the Music is created by Nine Inch Nails Ghosts VI: Locusts - The Worriment Waltz, on a creative commons license

"Slumber With A Key" was selected for exhibition with A2 Accelerate Art for the Continuum, Salvador Dali exhibit,
September 27-30, 2023 Barcelona, Spain