ProjectsThis project consists of twelve cyanotypes created from photographic documentation of a 48-hour period spent in complete, light-tight darkness. In Tibetan Buddhism, a dark retreat is a solitary contemplative practice in which a practitioner remains in darkness to cultivate heightened awareness. Drawing inspiration from this tradition, I undertook the retreat as a meditative framework for inducing lucid dreams. Four photographs were taken at the beginning and end as light was gradually dimmed and reintroduced, marking entry and exit. The central images were recorded in complete darkness and function as temporal markers indicating when lucid dreams occurred.The Abyssopelagic Project I: Visualization, Hypnagogia, and Lucid Dreams, 20253 x 9.5 x 44 in., mounted cyanotype on paperThis second round spent in light-tight darkness includes cyanotypes created from a photo documentation of a 60hr period which focused on cycling through periods of shamatha meditation and dreaming. A photograph was taken after each round of dreaming to time stamp the time they occurred. Thirty-one dreams were recorded in writing during this period.The Abyssopelagic Project ll - Meditation, Hypnagogia and Dreams, 202517.5 x 22.5 & 13 x 22 in., cyanotype on paperSince the fall of 2024 I have been tracking my dream practices and results to look for recurrent factors related to lucid dream induction. Each day and night has many practices for both formal and informal meditation practices that have been historically used by Vajrayana Buddhist yogis and western lucid dreamers alike including: state checks, shamatha meditation, intention setting, visualization, awaking during the night in between REM cycles, and dream journaling.