Sewing the quilt of fragmented experiences: Dear data project

Abstract

In this reflexive self-study, I interweave the heuristic analysis of dreams with reflections on research and data collection processes, as a first-year PhD student, to discover and contemplate my personal ontologies and epistemologies. The dream content was documented in a journal, and then categorized and symbolically presented in a visual mandala format that is inspired by Lupi and Posavec’s (2016) Dear Data analogue drawing project. The data is then triangulated with journal excerpts, personal paintings, and analyzed within literature and research about the continuity hypothesis of dreaming (Domhoff, 2003; 2011; 2017; Hall & Nordby, 1972; Hall & Van de Castle, 1966). Research processes, such as data collection, visually representing complex information, and collaborative research processes, are also discussed to generate larger conclusions about research. This project is a part of a doctoral methodological course assignment.

Keywords: Dear data; visual data; artistic research; dreams; continuity hypothesis of dreaming; mandala symbolism.