The Dreams Our Things Are Made On (2018/2022) examines how dreams and desires transform into reality through visualisation and construction, shaping our per- ception of the world. It critiques the potential manipula- tion of this process and highlights awareness as a tool for resistance. The title references Shakespeare’s The Tempest, reflecting on the illusory nature of existence.
This immersive work blends voice, music, dynamic lighting, film, and animation to create a synaesthetic experience that questions the boundaries between the tangible and intangible. Premiered at Beyond Festival (ZKM Karlsruhe) and exhibited at Transmediale (Berlin) and the NFT Biennial (London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and more), it expands analogue media into immersive, multi-sensory narratives. By integrating contemporary technology with performance, Petresin constructs a poetic reflection on digital utopias, embodiment, and the fluidity of identity. Through cinematic and perfor- mative elements, she invites audiences to engage in personal and collective acts of perception and trans- formation.
Image From The Dreams Our Things Are Made On all rights reserved by Vesna Petresin
VESNA PETRESIN, BSC, FRSA, IS A TRANSDISCIPLINARY ARTIST AND THINKER EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE (SOCIAL) BODY AND TECHNOLOGY. ENGAGING WITH OPTICS, COMPLEX GEOMETRY, AND ACOUSTICS, SHE EXAMINES HOW WE PERCEIVE SPACE AND TIME. HER IMMERSIVE OPERAS BLEND VOICE, LIGHT, AND MOVEMENT, EXTENDING ANALOGUE MEDIA INTO CONTEMPORARY RITUALS. VESNA’S WORK, SHOWCASED AT TATE MODERN, ART BASEL MIAMI, VENICE BIENNALE, AND MORE, ADDRESSES ENVIRONMENTAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL THEMES. AS A CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND LECTURER, SHE COLLABORATES WITH CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND BRANDS LIKE CERN, PHILIPS, AND MERCEDES. SHE HAS BEEN AWARDED FELLOWSHIPS FROM THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION AND INNOVATEUK.
