A new creative practice, Dreamscaping addresses the needs of End-of-Life families at home and in vigil by offering the patient and family members “a picture of a memory you have, or wish you had.” In the Interview/Brainstorming Phase, a memory artist teases out long-forgotten joys and regrets. In the Creation Phase, magical thinking – by all present and willing – produces a storytelling narrative that is jotted down, and then later, visualized by the memory artist (rendered in Photoshop as a photomontage or as a photo collage created by hand). This involves re-contextualizing family photos and stand in photos from other photographers into a tangible dreamscape – which pre- or post-loss can be shared in campaigns (virtually in Facebook/email, or literally, say, imprinted on a T-shirt). Designed to re-energize the patient and the bereaved, dreamscapes fill us with newfound purpose, hope and a call to action. The case studies shown here each reflect the original photos (provided by the family or patient) and the dreamscape made for siblings, parents, children, partners, or in the last two, for the patients themselves.
