Hypnopompia is a visualization of the dream-like state artist Erica Rosenfeld experienced in the depths of the COVID-19 lockdown. The title of this work refers to hypnopompic hallucinations, which are false perceptions experienced during the transition from sleep to waking. This work depicts a land Rosenfeld calls Reverie Forest, a fantastical sanctuary for plants and animals she describes as “beautiful mutants.” This forest embodies the strangeness she felt during this challenging time.  

Each creature, and the mound on which they live, is an amalgamation of blown glass, fabric, and mass-produced objects found at thrift stores, eBay, or gifted by friends. These kitschy trinkets made in the 1950s and 1960s symbolize parallels Rosenfeld finds between that era and the present day: xenophobia, racism, sexism, fear of war, and pressure to conform. These creatures appear both precious and frightening, like the nostalgia many have for post-WWII America, a time with a turbulent and dark underbelly.  

-Linnea Seidling, Assistant Curator of Glass