by Katelan Foisy
This piece was originally published on Luna Luna Magazine 2015.
It was nearly 8 p.m. when I arrived at the glass doors of the Rubin Museum. Armed with a sleeping bag, a journal, and some overnight toiletries, I entered into the museum’s theater to become a “Dream Gatherer.” For the past four years, the Rubin has hosted an adults-only “Dream-Over,” where participants fill out a short questionnaire. Based on their answers, docents choose pieces of art in the museum for them to sleep under. There are two groups: Dreamers and Dream Gatherers. Dreamers sleep in the museum underneath a piece that has been chosen, while Dream Gatherers help collect the dreams and help the Dreamers to remember them.
Dreamers come fully clothed in pajamas and are required to bring their own bedding for the event. They are then brought to meet their art and set up their designated spaces. Some meditate in front of the pieces chosen for them, while others draw or write about it beforehand. After the initial introduction, the Dreamers are brought down to the theater. There, everyone is treated to a short lecture, led by Dr. William Braun and Khenpo Lama Pema Wangdak, on the significance of dreaming in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. During a pause between arrival and lecture, the Dreamers are asked to draw what they can remember of their art pieces from memory…
continuing reading at The Vardo
CHAOS OF THE THIRD MIND 