Sleep is a fluid state that differs from the waking state. It is a magical state through which dreams digest and process the experiences of the day and are put in relation to memories and experiences. Without sleep, people get sick. Today, insomnia and memory loss are a growing problem. With Imprint of Sleep, Dupont covers a canvas, which is twice the size of her body, with fabric in the form of color and folds it. After that, Dupont sleeps one night on the back site of the canvas. This way, the top of the canvas takes on color from the bottom. An almost symmetrical image emerges, which testifies to the body’s movements during the night’s sleep. Dupont thus examines basic pictorial principles such as form, content and surface. The colors are chosen differently. In the works 18 to 25 October 2021, Dupont has used the Waldorf’s color system. Each of the days in this system has one color. When the canvas is folded, it is the coincidences of the body’s movements during sleep that determine the final result. Dupont’s material documentation of sleep is reminiscent of Rorschach tests, in which various recognizable formations with the body are more or less visible.
In Imprint of Sleep, Dupont explores ways to transfer the states of being into art. Here, the principle of randomness as well as the perception of color and substance as well as atmosphere play an important role. At the same time, Dupont creates the works effortlessly. Dupont’s Imprint of Sleep works thus counterbalance the neocapitalist society’s continuous demands for high efficiency, including the reduction of sleep. Thus, Dupont’s practice extends to sustainability thinking, where own existence and coexistence constitute the conditions for life.
The following paintings from Paris:
One week 8-15 November 2021. Pigment on linen. 200 x 150 cm
The following paintings from Copenhagen:
One week 18 to 25 October 2021. Oil on linen. Ca 200 x 150 cm
Imprint of Sleep 2019-2021
