The Weight of Sleep at WAM

Pondering Sleep through Poetry and Naps

By Grace Davis

Going to the “Weight of Sleep” event at the Weisman Art Museum, I didn’t know what to expect. I brought an open mind and my comfy pants—for the promised nap of course. 

Immediately upon walking into the galleria, the hushed sound of pattering rain echoed off the walls to greet me. The focal point of the room was dedicated to the ring of mats with pillows perfectly fluffed upon them resting under a grand art piece with over 20 miles of yarn running vertically alongside one another, almost mimicking a chandelier.

Poet Yuko Taniguchi and her collaborator, psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Cullen, introduced themselves to the group and explained their creative process. Taniguchi explained her process of exploring the impact of wellbeing on children facing mental health challenges through an exploration of sleep. “Walk Back to Your Body,” a poem by Taniguchu, is the guiding poem of this program, which encourages one to bring yourself back into your body from all the different places that our minds take us to. 

Everyone had different interpretations of what sleep felt like to them. Some took the writing prompts quite literally while others, like myself, attempted to incorporate poetic ideas. In our notebooks we wrote, shared, and discussed our different ideas for each prompt. After doing that a couple times, we took our 20 minute nap with the rain pattering again and came back to discuss what we noticed about our sleep. 

For some their sleep came easier, faster, and felt tranquil. For others it felt difficult, and forced, and odd taking a nap with other people in an open room at 3 p.m. while it was still light out.

Sleep is an innate human behavior, so next time you’re falling asleep notice how you feel to better understand your mind and body. You might be surprised by that happens when you start paying attention to this mysterious, universally experienced transition to unconsciousness.