Northport Resident Uses Sleep Paralysis as Inspiration for His Artwork

Photography by Nicolas Bruno

Sleep paralysis is a scary thing.

You are stuck in a state between being awake and asleep while your mind begins to play tricks on you, all while you are unable to move.

Northport High School graduate Nicolas Bruno is no stranger to sleep paralysis. He has dealt with theses terrorizing dreams for most of his life.

“I have experienced extreme terror during these dreams, which include faceless silhouetted figures, embraces from shadow-like hands, warping of reality around me – all while being completely paralyzed in the midst of being awake and sleeping,” he explained in his senior thesis at SUNY Purchase College.

Bruno says these hallucinations have taken a huge toll on his well-being, but he has learned to use his sleep paralysis to his advantage: his work is now inspired by the dreams that haunt him.

A journal is left on the side of his nightstand while he sleeps. When Bruno escapes from his sleep paralysis, he begins to sketch his dreams.

He then acts out the dreams in photoshoot.

When it comes to shooting the images, Bruno acts out his dreams himself while the camera shoots on a self-timer. He carefully plans out each photograph and will even model as several characters in a single photo.

“Bringing myself to act as the subject in these chaotic scenarios reflects the physical and mental struggles that take place within the dreams,” Bruno wrote in his thesis, which he shared with Patch. “The scenarios within the project allow me to become a multitude of different characters which all perform feats of bizarre nature. “

Bruno, who uses art history books for inspiration in his photographs, also creates hand-made props and costumes accurately reenact his dream.

In an exhibition, Bruno selected the below sequence of photographs that conveys a character traveling from each image, from left to right or right to left, “into different levels of chaos.”

Bruno explains the meaning behind this photo in his thesis:

“In the center image, the character finds the ability to distinguish himself from the turmoil. The faceless figures arrogantly swing their goblets about while others poke and prod each other in hopes to grab a portion of the feast for their own selfish enjoyment. Although the moment of realization is apparent, the subject will inevitably venture into another state of disarray with the remainder of the sequence. The intent of the sequence was to guide the viewer through the uncanny depictions of the subjects and environments as the character experiencing the dreams. The viewer may assume the role of the character, or become an omniscient bystander to the world with which (s)he is currently intertwined. The oscillating nature of the hanging sequence figuratively breaks the linear aspect of the sleep cycle and allows the reign of staggered nature to overcome the body of work. The viewer is encouraged to do multiple walks through the work in order make connections between each image transition.”

You can see more of Bruno’s artwork on his website.