“Nocturnal
Unfolding” is a layered image, consisting of the same photographic
self-portrait printed on two layers (on polyester voile, in the front
layer, and on wood, in the background) at 4 cm from each other. This separation
allows for a constantly different appreciation of the work according to the
perspective from which it is seen: from the front, the two images match
perfectly, thus seeming one, while, moving to the sides, they reveal their
depths.
This work is a result of my explorations
of sleep, half-sleep, and sleeplessness, carried out combining my own nocturnal
experiences with the interdisciplinary literature on the topic, across
neuroscience, psychoanalysis, philosophy and the
humanities more generally.
I came to consider the nocturnal hours
as precious moments of semi-conscious self-discovery, where conscious and
unconscious parts of the self interact in a unique way, as the individual is
able to access queer and deeper ways of thinking, feeling and perceiving.
This piece, in its simplicity, aims to
bring the observers in the solitude of their own nocturnal hours, inviting a
further exploration of those moments while also considering their irremediably
impossible interpersonal inscrutability.
