Regine David's 'Fever Dream' Is Up to Interpretation
David’s debut book is a compilation of her photographs, published by Bad Student.
“If I’m going to share myself, now is the time to do it.”
Multi-media artist Regine David has just released her latest work, “Fever Dream,” which she describes as photographs with elements of surrealism and fantasy at the core. As a fever dream is apt to do, the book’s name stuck with David throughout the curation process, which she began in 2019 with Philippines-based publishing house Bad Student.
The book, which is made from risograph and compiles David’s photographs, is intentionally unconventional, with familiarity and unfamiliarity meeting in one space to create a feeling of “unsettlement,” as editor Paolo Lorenzana notes at the beginning of the book. With pages in different sizes and vibrant colors meeting monochromatic ones, the book becomes a highly dynamic experience, which David says was done intentionally, with great care.
“Whenever we get art books or photo books, we read through it maybe five times at most and forget about it. We wanted [“Fever Dream”] to be a more interactive experience that replicates being in a fever dream,” she said.
“Whenever we get art books or photo books, we read through it maybe five times at most and forget about it. We wanted [“Fever Dream”] to be a more interactive experience that replicates being in a fever dream,” she said. “You know those older books where you can mix and match paper dolls? I wanted to have the same idea for these memories. They’re stuck there, but they flip, so you can keep changing how you view things.”
The book lends itself to nostalgia and offers a tactile experience that photo books don’t typically possess. Flipping through the pages in various ways allows different viewpoints to form into one cohesive storyline: the fever dream theme.
“Once you get to the end, you can start reviewing your dreams,” David said, likening the book to the experience of waking up from a deep sleep. “I want people to have this idea that you can play with the book. I don’t want it to be a stagnant thing; you’re always going to have a different way of seeing it depending on what you feel like. It’s a complicated approach, but it makes sense with both the medium and the concept.”
“Fever Dream” is David’s first physical output of work. She knew she wanted it to stand out and leave it open to interpretation.
“I’m a little bit more guarded in my work,” David said. “I can put out the energy I want in my work and then hide behind it, but this is a lot more personal. The unsettling part is about being more honest with my work and being more vulnerable.”
“I can put out the energy I want in my work and then hide behind it, but this is a lot more personal. The unsettling part is about being more honest with my work and being more vulnerable.”
Though “Fever Dream” is David’s way of honoring the people she has photographed, she emphasized the importance of making art and the reason for doing so. In creating art, she is able to communicate those feelings of unsettlement; for David, it doesn’t matter if the message that her audience receives is different from the one that she originally came up with, so long as her work invites her audience into the world she has curated.
“That’s the beauty of putting work out there. I want the viewer to have their own interpretation,” David said. “That’s why I would leave quotes in the book, so they have a better sense of who I am, but I didn’t want to control the narrative. It’s ambiguous enough that you can read into it, but it’s still up to you to enjoy or decipher or put yourself into the fantasy.”
“Fever Dream” is available to purchase now through Bad Student Press’ website.
Images Courtesy of Regine David