Pandemic Dreams

Paintings, text and design by Mari Eckstein Gower
Engineering and fabrication by Kat Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2021. Edition of 15.
10.75 x 7 x 1.25” closed, extends to 97. Accordion fold with 7 spreads. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper, with additional papers of Canson Mi-Teintes, Madeleine Durham paste paper, Japanese Kozuke paper with Kozo fiber. Housed in a 11 3/8 x 7 5/8 x 2” clamshell box. Signed and numbered by the artist.
Mari Gower: "Early in 2020, when it seemed that the entire world was in lockdown because of a new virus, I chanced upon a news article about how pandemic first responders reported dreams with common patterns. Doctors, nurses & paramedics were connected not just by shared trauma, but by communal dreams as well.
“Wondering if these patterns repeated in the general populace, I began collecting quotes from global news articles which chronicled reactions to the unique times we were sharing. While doing so, I began painting dream-themes that reflected our collective dreaming.
“’Pandemic Dreams’ is my exploration of how we have globally processed the stress of dealing with an invisible menace through our dreams. The front pages of my book explore how we regard masks as both protection and containment by using origami forms to cover parts of the faces. The waves in my paintings contain pleas for medical help in multiple languages. The back pages contain selections of the quotes I've collected from global news sources.”
Text excerpt: “Even though I know the deaths are real, it feels more like I’m watching a dystopian or apocalyptic movie because, when I look out my front window, the world still looks the same as it always has.”