Hypnagogia
Kayla Keung
To me, the moments before sleep often feel like falling down a rabbit hole where fragmented memories, sounds, and images begin to drift through the mind.
Hypnagogia explores the liminal, dreamlike state between wakefulness and sleep known as hypnagogia through a distinctly personal lens. Drawing on the metaphor of the rabbit hole and the magic realism and the dream narrative of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the project connects personal hypnagogic experiences to the sensation of entering an unfamiliar yet oddly familiar world. The project unfolds through four chapters that mirror stages of my own hypnagogic experiences: falling, floating, fantasy, and fading. Alice’s descent becomes a metaphor for entering the subconscious, where perception loosens and nostalgic memories surface in unexpected ways.
Hypnagogia unfolds as a mini-publication set, including a book, a poster, and cards. Additional printed materials function as interactive visual elements that extend the contained reading experience of the book. Combining research with personal experiences of hypnagogia—fleeting images, ambient sounds, floating sensations, and the Tetris effect—the publication combines fragmented visuals, symbolic objects, and narrative references. Woven into these landscapes are short texts that further contextualize the hypnagogic state. Hypnagogia invites audiences to experience a simulated descent into hypnagogia and reflect on the strange, nostalgic space that exists between waking and dreaming.