i think i saw you in a dream

i think i saw you in a dream, 2025

i think i saw you in a dream is a short animation, in which I beaded onto bright green fabric using translucent beads. In removing the green screen, I was able to layer the beadwork process in motion, against short film clips and acrylic paint on glass. The final piece was a progression of beading a large flower from start to finish. 

I think I saw you in a dream captures the motion and life of beadwork in a dream-like state, without the inclusion of hands. Choosing not to include my own hands working in the film was intentional, not only in terms of distracting the viewer of the beadwork process, but also to generate a visual representation of the role that imagination plays when conceptualizing beading patterns. Pinpointing where this inspiration comes from is a challenging question, and within this representation, I attempted to communicate the livelihood of beads. Inspiration for beadwork often comes in dreams, whether that's while sleeping or during the day while I'm moving about. This dream-state inspiration for my work is often paired with inspiration from my literal physical surroundings, including the combination of light, texture and movement of natural elements in the landscape such as water, sun, snow and plants. I think I saw you in a dream creates a visual representation of the powerful relationship between the physical and dream-state realms to conceptualize the life of beadwork. The creation of the flower from start to finish includes some shots of my surroundings are examples of light, textures and movements of the landscape that inform my work, and to show how beadwork lives and breathes alongside these elements. I hope to use this video as a “sketch” for future projects, as film is a medium I would really like to explore.