We were invited by Benese Art Site Naoshima to create an artwork for a room in their beachside hotel. While on Naoshima Island for a 2 week residency we recorded singing, wind, storms, waves, dogs barking and other sounds. Janet also recorded all her dreams while we were there.

Everyday on our walks we collected detritus from the beaches and starting making small sculptures from it. The first one bore a striking resemblance to a Baku**. A Baku is a Japanese supernatural being that devours dreams and nightmares. It is common for children in Japan to keep a Baku talisman at their bedside. This inspired us to make more dream talismans out of the various found pieces that had been washed up on the beach just as the Baku was created from the spare pieces that were left over when the gods finished creating all the other animals. These small sculptures are embedded in the walls surrounding the bed in Room 2201 and we hope that they infiltrate the guest’s sleep just as the making of them did the artists’ dreams.

From the audio and dream recordings we created a binaural soundtrack to be listened to on headphones by the guests staying in the room just before going to sleep.

**The Baku, otherwise known as the ‘dream eater’, is a mythological being or spirit in Japanese folklore which is said to devour nightmares. The Baku cannot be summoned without caution, however, as ancient legends say that if the Baku is not satisfied after consuming the nightmare, he may also devour one’s hopes and dreams.