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Dreams have been the subject of controversy and intense human interest since time immemorial. Many ancient cultures thought they were signs and portents from the gods that could indicate a connection between past, present, and future events. Next, Freud came along and exploded this idea, formulating his overwhelmingly influential book length essay, The Interpretation of Dreams. This theory postulated that dreams are a reflection of the human unconscious mind, and that they are an outlet for stress and for traumatic events. Of course, no one really knows exactly what dreams are, although it is obvious to the person who remembers his or her dreams that they contain a mixture of the fantastic and the real. Events, people, even places are familiar, and yet infused with elements of complete fantasy. In short, dreams are fascinating places to examine, and this graphic make a strong case for encompassing all the most important elements of what a dream land is like.
Couched in a traditional Japanese artistic style, this design features a tall volcano which seems to be spouting some sort of white flames while drifting through a cosmic haze of clouds and stars. Below, near its base, a sea of what could be snow and water simultaneously ripples and splashes as waves crash against the base of the mountain and fish leap and dive. Then, near the bottom of the graphic, the water begins to drop and drip over some unseen barrier, melting into the unknown. It is precisely this idea of the unknown that makes this graphic an undeniable illusion, an elegant, stylish dream land.
While the fish seem to be fish, they are diving into a sea of water that is exactly the same colour and consistency as the snow at the top of the mountain. How is it possible to separate the white from the black, the mountain from the sea, the snow from water, and the top from the bottom? That is what this graphic does best - keeps the viewer on their toes, as no interpretation or explanation is completely correct.
In a dream, the unknown and inexplicable is often commonplace. The line between possible and impossible is blurred, and the division between strange and familiar is all but completely destroyed. That is why the landscape in this graphic continually merges and slides into the void. Each part of the design allows many interpretations, much like our current understanding of dreams, making this a very intelligent and simultaneously stylish graphic.
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