The Place Between Sleep and Awake

The Place Between Sleep and Awake is a body of work created after a return to my hometown after a great deal of time away. The title of this project stems from a quote in Peter Pan. It states, "You know that place between sleep and awake? That place where you still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you. That's where I'll be waiting." This body of work stems from an interest in the point in time after a loss or traumatic event, where one has awoke suddenly from a dream, and then is unsure of their dreaming or waking state. Soon after my return home, my father suffered a stroke. This body of work speaks about the uncertainty of health and illness, and of the emotional and psychological weight of role reversal resulting in the act of caregiving toward a parent. This work reflects the struggle for balance that I am striving to attain between the personal guilt and worry that I carry from being far away from my family and the equanimity that I feel from not having to hold the responsibility. The work also addresses the paradoxical state of the silence and loneliness of my new home, with the comfort and familiarity of my old home, As well as the memories, experiences, and relationships that these spaces once held. This in-between place is where I find myself longing to be, a place of safety and comfort. A place to call home.