Sleeper

by Michael R Hayter · Bristol, GB

A near-hairless figure sleeps in a cocoon-like bed on a rudimentary wooden bed-frame. A curtain of plants grow behind him, and beyond them an almost clear blue sky. Beneath the bed lies a stony soil that appears to be in cross-section, supporting apparently nothing apart from the row of tall plants (weeds?) behind. This image is based on the infantile nature of sleep - secure, enveloped, unconscious. The curtain of plants appears to be both a protective screen from the world beyond, and like the bars of a gaol, imprisoning the sleeper, who lies unaware of this paradox. The picture is a meditation on the internal conflicting desires for both security and freedom - where security, once found, can feel like a prison.