INSIDE THE WORK
Dream intrusion.
A record in paint.
Ryan Louder’s narcolepsy is documented by the NHS. In September 2018, his sleep physician recorded dream intrusion while he was painting awake.
THE CLINICAL RECORD · 28 SEPTEMBER 2018
“hypnagogic dream intrusion when painting whilst awake”
Recorded by Professor Joerg Steier, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London.
Read the clinical context →The experience behind the work.
Ryan describes painting dream imagery as it appears during waking life. The clinical note places that experience at the easel, in the act of painting.
The paintings preserve something fleeting in a lasting, physical form. Faces emerge from other faces. Bodies share their edges with the surrounding space. A portrait can contain a landscape; a crowd can become a single shape.
Looking closely means following those changes as they happen within the image.
Explore the artwork →The documented findings.
The records are two NHS letters from the Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’, London, under Professor Joerg Steier.
28 September 2018 · Sleep study and clinical note
The letter records a mean sleep latency of 7.5 minutes and sleep-onset REM in two of four naps. Twelve days of actigraphy recorded an average sleep time of 5.33 hours.
It also records “hypnagogic dream intrusion when painting whilst awake”.
26 April 2019 · Diagnosis
The letter records the diagnosis “Narcolepsy syndrome”.
The original letters are held privately. Redacted copies can be requested for a specific enquiry.
Enquire about the clinical record →What the paintings reveal.
Forensic analysis examines the visible structure of the work. In a scored set of 304 artwork entries, 267 contained altered-state visual markers. Boundary dissolution was the most frequent feature.
The diagnosis establishes the condition. The clinical note records dream intrusion during painting. Close examination of the canvases shows how unstable edges, layered figures and shifting spaces recur in the work.
Follow the forensic analysis →