In January 2003, utilising Ed Ruscha’s book, Royal Road Test as a readymade set of instructions, Simon Morris and 78 of his students cut out every work from Sigmund Freud’s 736 page book The Interpretation of Dreams (including the index - 333,960 words).
'The Interpretation of Dreams explores the unconscious mind through a series of case studies. The unconscious mind is supposed to reverse the natural order of things. In dreams, objects can often appear the wrong size, words are disconnected from meaning and ideas can seem arbitrary and unrelated. Freud’s text explores these ideas but his writing adopts the opposite form. His words are highly considered, his sentences carefully structured and his arguments carefully crafted. What would happen if you subjected his entire random act of utter madness? Ed Ruscha’s project had provided me with a readymade set of instructions to map onto Sigmund Freud’s words. It was not my intention to repeat or copy a Ruscha project but rather to use his instructions in order to conduct an experiment on Freud’s writing. For some time now, my work has been concerned with the destruction of meaning followed by a reconstruction of an alternative meaning from the composite elements, and the art existing in the space of play between the two.'
All text & lower image © www.freud.org.uk
Top image © www.rearsound.net
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