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Art from Dreams: My Jungian Journey in Collage, Assemblage, and Poetry by Susan Levin

Source: MBM Book Publicity and Susan Levin
Paperback, 48 pages
Purchase on Levin’s Website.

Art from Dreams: My Jungian Journey in Collage, Assemblage, and Poetry by Susan Levin combines poetry, collage, and assemblage into two parts — “My Jungian Dreams” and “Nocturnes” — but the poetry only appears in the first section to accompany the dream-inspired collages.  When it comes to Jungian dream interpretation, there are several archetypes — including the persona, the shadow, the animus, the divine child, the wise one, the great mother, and the trickster — and the archetypal events like birth, death, separation from one’s parents, marriage, and the union of opposites.  The poems are very lyrical in the first half, though almost as enigmatic as some of the images produced from Levin’s dreams.  The collage or assemblage pieces came first, but the poems were written later.  In the foreword, Shana Nys Dambrot said that Levin embraces the role of the unconscious mind as a creative force in her work, which is clear.

Alchemy (page 14)

Nobody sees us-
the Archeologist and me-
as we excavate the night
searching for beginnings,
unearthing symbols, images.
Everything is held to the fire
We get close to truth,
to what is known and unknown.
We awaken to re-imagine our lives

Think about those dreams you remember and how we try to make sense of them, looking for symbols and hidden meanings; we’re much like the archeologists digging in the dirt, looking at bones to re-create the past and create a history that can be understood. Levin uses the poems to enhance her collage, and in many ways, she reminds us that art merely imitates life. In her poem, “Picasso Dream” and the accompanying collage is clearly inspired by the artist and his work. In the second session, Levin is exploring the darker underbelly of her dreams. There is a darkness inside us all, it nibbles just below the surface.

Art from Dreams: My Jungian Journey in Collage, Assemblage, and Poetry by Susan Levin is an exploration in art and dreamscapes, as well as everything that makes us human. These images she’s created through collage, sculpture and found objects will make a deep impression and stay with readers long after they have closed the last page.

About the Artist:

Susan Levin is a multi-media artist. She works in landscapes, portraits, works on paper, collage, collage/assemblage, found object, and sculptural art. For the past 2 years, she has focused on dream imagery and expressing the connections she has had with Carl Jung’s theories on dream imagery and how art therapy can help individuals express their own subconscious thoughts.

Book 21 for the Dive Into Poetry Reading Challenge 2014.

 

 

53rd book for 2014 New Author Challenge.