the oneironaut (heart of the ocean)

The ONEIRONAUT tells the tale of the Oneironaut, the Dream Traveler, who has begun to see that the Dreamworld has turned Dark. She asks, “the Humans, where are their Minds, and where are their Hearts?” The Oneironaut sees that the Earthly Realm is sick and dying by the hands of the Humans, who are stuck in dreamless sleep; they have gone online (into the world of screens) only to go offline from their Spirits, the Earth, and each other. In order to correct the balance, Oneironaut must help the Humans wake up to dream again, and in order to wake them up, the Oneironaut needs to learn about Love on Earth.

The Oneironaut thus goes on a journey, discovering the dream-like beauty in the Earthly Realm through different manifestations of love. She discovers the Heart, the Ocean, the Mountains, the Cosmic Force, and meets various characters that band together to help wake up the Humans to save themselves from auto-destruction and teaches the Oneironaut about love and beauty on Earth.

This is a 30 minute performance built for the stage or adapted to outdoors, site-specific locations throughout Upstate NY and consists of dance, puppetry, masks, original music, video projection, and large set pieces and props. The video projection can be shown separately or as part of the performance. The performance is a ritual, both abstract and symbolic, and a reaction to love & heartbreak in the climate crisis and the digital age.

First performed August 2023 for the Phoenicia Festival of the Arts, featuring Anna Hafner, Kira DeCoudres, Emma Leigh and Carlyn Howells. The above video is a reel from that performance and below is a gallery.

This final video is an adapted version of video art projection that accompanies this performance of the Oneironaut (Heart of the Ocean), but it is itself its own piece and its own experience, and is itself called THE HEART OF THE OCEAN.

Shot over 3 years, from 2020-2023 on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, this video art is a collection of movements through heartbreak using puppetry & butoh. Certain locations were chosen for their environmental impact, such as the oil refinery in Salina Cruz, and various secret beaches threatened by human impact. The video is heavily layered and I approached its process like a watercolor painting, playing with layers, light, color and lucidity. Everything is shot on an Iphone, intentionally correlating the low video quality to Expressionist and Fauvist painting.

The actual video art starts at 7:54.

Before the video, there is a 7:50 minutes of something called the "Rainbow Meditation". This adapted video art version was projected for a special show at the Mothership in Woodstock, NY, accompanied by a guided shruti box meditation through the Rainbow, and live music, including some of the original songs from the Oneironaut performance.