Lesson 5

Objective:

Students continue to discuss their different perceptions of time and order in surrealism. They explain their own representation and relate it to other surreal examples of time that they have observed.  Students are introduced to the importance of dreams in Surrealism.

 

Procedure:

Have students sit in the groups they were in yesterday. Give them five minutes to discuss how they are going to present their poster to the class. Then students present their posters, explaining their interpretation of time and the surreal elements they used to portray this interpretation. It should take about 20 minutes total to finish presenting their projects and making comparisons between their different perceptions of time and the perceptions of the surreal artists who we have studied.

 

Next have students take out a piece of paper. Ask them to write for a couple of minutes about any true to life dream or déjà vu experience they have had. They should include as many details they can remember. Then with a partner they should try to interpret each others dreams, breaking them down into pieces, and using symbolism as is suggested by Freud in his The Interpretation of Dreams passage.  After each student has attempted to interpret their partners dream, and they should discuss what they believe their dreams mean as a window into their subconscious reality. Afterwards, reshow the first five minutes of Fellini’s dream sequence. Ask them as a class to try to interpret Fellini’s dream sequence using the same technique’s they did to interpret their own dreams. Just as they did when interpreting their own dreams, they should consider symbolism and the nonlinear, fractured sequence of the dream.   They will have about twenty minutes for this assignment. At the end of class it is worthwhile to explain that this activity was a simplified means of interpretation, and that Freud’s argument for dreams and their meaning involves many layers of unraveling the relationship between the conscious and subconscious mind.

 

Assessment:

The students will be assessed on their ability to create visual representations of time that they can explain, and that contain surreal elements. They should be able to reference the works we have been studying and analyzing in class as well.

 

Homework:

Have students read a small portion of Andre Breton’s Manifesto of Surrealism.  The passage they are being asked to read is a short passage that focuses on Breton’s explanation of dreams.  The entire document can be read here.