[NSFW] Dream Control – When Freedom Ends

All pictures of the series were recorded on film, scanned in high-resolution and digitally post-produced. The resulting composite files were transferred to film again (4x5“ format), for archival purposes.

Dream Control is an art book and exhibition with staged photographs, illuminating essays, chilling stories and profound background texts: a rollercoaster ride through a virtual entertainment park for sleepwalkers, set in the near future; visually and literary compelling.

Conceived, designed and produced by Efacts Photography, Berlin, in cooperation with Musée de cinéma et miniatures, Lyon

Director of Photography: Frank Lassak

Creative Director: Lena Naomi Krebs

Complete crew and cast: see www.efactsphoto.com/dreamcontrol.html

The book describes and visualizes the fascinating and terrifying aspects of a future amusement park for sleepwalkers. At the same time, it is an invitation for the readers to scrutinize the value and integrity of allegedly life-enhancing services, whose primary aim is to jeopardize the clients’ ability to lead a self-determined, sovereign life.

The exhibition is fully immersive and invites visitors to venture through the so-called Somniverse – a virtual environment where sleepwalkers experience tailor-made dreams. In addition to the 20 pictures from the book (chemical photo prints, sized 160 x 100 cm), there is a soundscape (lasting more than 8 hours, equaling the daily opening times of the museum or gallery), as well as several screens with continuous loop videos, showing interviews from behind the scenes of the production.

The project started in November 2017, when Frank was researching a story about the manipulative nature of hyper-commercialized social media. Inspired by Neal Stephenson’s novel „Snow Crash“, which he reread 25 years after having devoured it already in 1992, the idea emerged of a saturnine corporation that drew its power from sophisticated behavior control in disguise of social entertainment. While the entertainment industry has conquered almost all areas of life but the realm of the subconscious, it is quite likely it will expand into that field in the near future. DC Corp., the fictional company that runs the Somniverse, is loosely based on the model of today’s multinational enterprises and an example of scrupulous entrepreneurship in the age of surveillance capitalism.

The staged photographs were produced using artistic miniatures from the famous collection of Musée de cinéma et miniatures in Lyon/France. Actors and actresses, including Oscar-winner Christian Harting („Son of Saul“, 2016) were photographed separately in a studio. In total, the production team consisted of more than 50 specialists, led by my trusted creative director Lena Naomi Krebs. All pictures of the series were recorded on film, scanned in high-resolution and digitally post-produced. The resulting composite files were transferred to film again (4x5“ format), for archival purposes.

Printing of the book will start in March 2019. In order to be able to produce a larger print-run, Efacts Photography have started an Indiegogo campaign, which ended on February 28th.

Exhibitions and book presentations:

Vevey – Images Vevey Book Award; May, 2019 Arezzo – Imago Gallery; June-July, 2019

Vienna – tbd; September-October, 2019

Berlin – The Ballery; November-December, 2019 Lyon – Musée de cinéma et miniatures; Spring, 2020 Rome – Impatto Gallery; Summer, 2020

Contact:
Efacts Photography
Frank Lassak  frank(at)efactsphoto.com
Indiegogo
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