Hypnagogia refers to a sensation of slipping in and out of control of the body, this can occur between wakefulness and sleep or can be induced through meditative breathing. It denotes an alignment or misalignment between the consciousness and the body. Hypnagogia can cause formations of strange imagery to appear whilst the eyes are closed, but it requires a particular balance of both concentration and relinquishment of control of the mind’s consciousness to achieve such an outcome.
This is an experience I have become increasingly aware of in my process of moderating anxiety through daily breathing exercises. The videos presented in this exhibition reference a selection of images that I have conjured inadvertently whilst in the hypnagogic state. Operating on asynchronous loops the works arouse a sense that opposing elements that are trying to ‘catch’ one another. Hypnagogia is a response to a contemporary feeling of disequilibrium, as boundaries between work and leisure are dissolving, in a world navigated through screens.