Sunday, September 07, 2008

A Long Story for a Short Dreamday

Yesterday I went for a coffee in a cosy café called Gula Huset here in Visby, Gotland.
Since I was right in the middle of finishing my last post about the couple in Göteborg I thought I would bring my computer along and finish it off with a cup of coffee.




The café is very small with wooden tables and old fashioned coffee cups. I take a seat by the window and unpack my computer. I get my coffee and begin to write. After a while the small room starts getting crowded. Since I sit by a big table I thought I would be nice and leave it for bigger companies. So after a while I take my things and move over to a small window table just next to a family with two small children.





I am just about to start writing when all of a sudden the man in the family leans over to me and asks: -Do you have wireless internet? Yeah, sure I do, I respond, quite proud of my new 3G-mobile broadband... Well, could you move a little bit further away he says. I got really surprised and looked at him. Oh ok...

-I got my dose of radiation at the library today, he continues, and it really disturbs me. It makes me feel sick. Actually I could feel the signal from where you were sitting at the other table as well, he says. Alright I say and start mumbling something about all the signals that exist around us today and so I say: Well, I can just move back to the other table then...-Thanks I really appreciate it, he says.

And there we go again, balancing a cup of coffee and the computer back to the old table by the window. I begin to write but my mind is unfocused. Why did I not just tell the guy what a stupid idea that is that it would be my computer giving away radiation? The radiaton or signals or whatever you call them, already exists out there, regardless if I am connected or not, or am I wrong?



Anyway, in a little while the family is gone and I can start writing again. I go for a second round of coffee and while drinking it and writing the last lines on my blog a woman from another table comes up to me and says: Is it OK if I take a picture of you when you sit there and write? It just looks so interesting with the combination of old and new, the old café and the modern laptop, she says. Sure I say and try not to pose while staring at the computer.

I finally finish my post on the blog and decide to put the computer back in my bag. I take up a little note book that I have decided to use only for writing down my dreams that I have at night. I start writing down a dream of mine that I had about a week ago about a house that my family owns in Greece. The dream had made such a strong impression on me and I wanted to write it down in detail so I would not forget it.

After writing for a little bit I needed to go to the bathroom. I left my cup and notebook on the table. The toilet is next to the small courtyard and I step outside. When coming back I pass the table where the ladies were sitting who took the picture of me. I smile for myself while thinking what a bizarre afternoon this had been so far. When I get back to the table I get another surprise. I have company. Across the table there is an old man sitting with a cup of coffee, a big sandwich and a book. -Now you have company he said! Ok, that is nice I respond and sit down.

He asks me what I am writing. I am writing down a dream I had some time ago, I said. He gets curious and I tell him about the dream briefly. Then he said: I have two dreams that I had a long time ago and that I still remember very clearly. They are about being lucky and being saved, he says. He starts telling me these dreams in detail and at the same time I remember thinking that right now I must be the luckiest person to get to hear a stranger´s dream, just like that, simple and unpretentiously over a cup of coffee...

That is when I get the idea: Maybe I can take this chance to ask the man what his dreamday would look like. I could not stop myself and a few minutes later I start telling him about my dreamdayproject. He was not overly excited about the question at first. But then he starts thinking and he says:

" Well, first of all, it involves a woman to accompany me. It is a day spent either by the sea or in the mountains. If it is by the sea there is probably a boat involved, and if it is the mountains maybe some hiking. The day is about the joy of spending time with a woman that you care for and to wake up together and fall asleep together at night."

After that we continue our small talk for a little while and eventually I open my note book and start writing it all down. The man takes up his book as well and says. -This is a good book, but it is really hard to read. But I try to force myself to read a little bit in it every once in while...

Hm... I think for myself. Why do we force ourselves to read difficult books when our dreams are so different?
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Saturday, September 06, 2008

Sleepless in Gothenburg

I really wonder what this couple said to eachother when they walked away this afternoon. One thing is sure though. One of them is not living his dreamday right now.


The video clip is from last winter. I was standing outside Biopalatset in Göteborg, Sweden trying to get some Swedes to answer the same question that I had asked so many times before. Göteborg was somehow more difficult than other places and many people seemed to be too stressed to be disturbed with such a trivial question. If I had been asking something more "serious", maybe something connected to global warming or so, then maybe they would have given the question more thought.

Nevertheless there were some really interesting answers coming up. Some very subtle but yet very honest. This is one of them.

Unfortunately the sound is not very good, but if you listen very carefully you can hear the man saying something very quietly just before he is interrupted by his wife. He mumbles something like " A day when you can sleep..."

In the meantime the wife streches out her arm and looks at her clock and says: We are a little bit in a hurry right now...He never gets to finish his sentence before they are quickly walking away to their set destination. But I hope he finishes the thought in his mind. Maybe maybe he even said it to his wife, and maybe the next day he would be able to change his day.

I also wondered what they were hurrying for that was so important that she could not even listen to what her husband had to say about his dreamday. She had the chance to peek inside his soul for a second, and she did not even listen. I think that is the sadest part of this dreamday. And also, who knows what time he had to get up this morning just to stress out on the busy streets.

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Thursday, September 04, 2008

Beach or God?

I met these two guys in Mexico City in 2006. I was standing just outside the main square in Mexico City when I saw the two of them walking down the street. I suspected they were Jehovas Witnesses and I was of course very curious to hear about their dreamday.


The first guy is quick to respond that his dreamday would be to do what he is doing right now, which is to spread the word of God...

The I turn to the other guy. I ask him what his dreamday would be like. He responds something like this:

" Well, all those things that he said before, but also....just go to the beach or something..."

I love the honesty in that answer:-)


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Estar en la Casa Todo el Día

This Dreamday video was filmed in December 2005 in Monterrey, Mexico. My two friends Luis and Roberto helped me out and this was during the second day of Dreamday filming ever. We had taken a taxi on our lunch-break to one of the big fruit and vegetable markets in the city. This girl that I am interviewing is working in one of the stands there.

When I approached her and when she noticed the video camera, she looked really bothered as you can see. (And I don´t blame her...) I remember thinking in that same moment that the whole thing was a bad idea and that maybe I should just leave her alone. But the camera was running and I could not find a way to end the conversation...

So I finally get to ask my question in broken Spanish and I am wondering if she is going to ignore it or not.

But in that same moment something magical happens. And it is exactly those moments that keep me inspired to continue this project.

For a few seconds the expression in her face changes. You can hardly notice but a smile breaks through her face and then she reponds:

-To stay at home one whole day!

My dreamdayproject is not so much about the replies that I get, but more about what happens when you hear the question. When you are forced to remind yourself about your dreams and wishes...

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

I just love this guy so I had to put him here on the first page again...You cant miss this:-)

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Thursday, August 07, 2008

Today I met one of my oldest friends, Frida, and was reminded about her dreamday from 2003...

Here it is:

" I would like it to be September ( the month is just coming up now, so it looks pretty good for Frida).
It would be a nice autumn day with clear and fresh weather and blue sky. I would wake up around 9. Then I would go somewhere with a train, down towards central Europe, pretty unplaned together with good company. At night I would fall asleep in a new city and be on my way on a journey for indefinite time."



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This is a note from my friend Roberto. He helped me filming in Monterrey and Mexico City in 2005.

Roberto´s dreamday back then goes something like this:

To be able to spend time with my family, my brothers and Enid and enjoy the day as much as possible. To skate as never before. Go to a concert or play in one. Eat with my family and then meet up with every single person that I find interesting and that I love and to know that I leave something after me, at least a nice memory, like a small bag of candies.

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Wednesday, August 06, 2008

This is an old friend of mine who was one of the first ones to participate in this project. The note goes back to 2002 but somehow I think his dreamday is still pretty much the same...

Claes would like to wake up at around 9 in Warszaw ( where he is also living right now). He wants to have breakfast together with his girlfriend. The breakfast is pretty advanced: Fresh coffee, vegetables, cheese, ham (maybe pesto). After that they do their own things for a while. Claes has a coffee alone together with his books and note book. He is working on an article for pretty long, around 2-3 hours. (Roughly around 11-14). He takes a walk in the city and gets inspired by fresh fruits, smells from cars, people and buildings. He continues to the library ( he works as a journalist or as a PhD-student and is working on his dissertation.) He reads a book by Heidegger, Seinfeld or Letterman.

On his way home, he makes a stop in an espresso bar for about 20-30 min. After that he goes home and takes a long shower. Then his girlfriend comes home. They have a glass of wine together and talk about everything. They prepare some food, listen to music and then they have a long dinner together. After that anything can happen, maybe going to the cinema, stay at home, go to a bar, meeting friends, depending on the mood.

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This is a note from a class mate in Greece from 2003. It says:
" My dream day is to be on a beach with my friends and the beach to be beautiful."

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These are a two notes from a couple that I have known for many years, They are from Sweden but live in New York now together with a camel called Stan.

Notice how their dreamdays are pretty well syncronized!





Frida would like to get up pretty early, around 8 or so. Preferably with a breakfast outdoors. She would have sandwiches with (a strange combintion-but I have never tried....) honey and redcurrants and a cup of tea. No company except the morning newspaper. (if well planned, Jonas could have that morning swim right here...)

The day would then continue with different activities, like for example picking mushrooms in the forest, sewing or walking. Something simple really, but absolutely no shopping! Maybe together with the family.
Then lunch and after that take a rest and maybe read a book. Maybe also some afternoon "fika" ( coffee/tea and something nice to go with it)

The night would be spent together with friends and a nice dinner. Things that Frida does NOT want on her dreamday are: shopping and phone calls...



Jonas would also like to get up early. If it is summer he would like to take a swim and then have a big breakfast out in the sun with "filbunke" (hm, how do I translate that, a special kind of yoghurt made at home I guess.) and juice.

After that Jonas would like to play golf and have an expensive golf lunch at the club. ( I guess this would be while Frida is out in the forest picking mushrooms..)

After coming back home, Jonas would like to cut some wood and after that take a swim again. After that he would like to read a comic book in the hammock followed by afternoon "fika" with newly-baked buns.

In the evening: Preparing a bbq with marinades, sauces etc. Maybe also grill some corn. After dinner preferably playing cards, sauna and a swim again... Continue Reading

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

and more notes...



This is another note from Copenhagen. This girl i met in Athens in 2003. Her dreamday would be a day on the Greek Island Paros together with her boyfriend. She would also probably like to be pregnant, she writes. She would also like to see the sun rise and to go to the beach there.



This is a note from a former colleague of mine in Göteborg. I think it must be from around 2003. It says:

" To go to Carmel, California and visit a man who is growing wine there and whom I met a couple of years ago. Make new contacts, travel around and to really seize the day." Continue Reading

More dreamday notes!



This is a note from a friend of mine from Thailand. She lives in Stockholm now and this is her dreamday:

"Just being by the wonderful, lovely sea surrounded by the ones i love.
Opps! I forgot my cats"


This note is from when I went to Copenhagen some years ago. Unfortunately I can not remember who wrote this note and it does not have a name on it either. The note is in Danish and it goes something like this:

" I am at home. It is the day after a party, which has been great. My friends were here yesterday. I do not do anything in the whole day but look out from the window and smile while thinking of yesterday. "

I think this is a very interesting dreamday. It is a day that depends on the day before. It is about enjoying what has been rather than being right in the middle of it.


This is a friend of mine from Monterrey, Mexico.
His dreamday would be to go to Cuba with his family. They would all be together and without any worries or problems they would enjoy eachother´s company and laugh alot.



This is a note from one of my friend´s ex-boyfriends. It says:

"Making love on a sailing boat on the Swedish West Coast on a warm summer day." Continue Reading

Monday, August 04, 2008

Here are some dreamday notes that I have collected throughout the years




This is the note from my Greek teacher from when I used to study at the Athens Centre, Greece in 2004. Even though my teacher is maybe 25 years older than me, her dreamday is probably the one that mostly resembles mine! (except from that part with the kids perhaps) The note is in Greek and it says:

"I would like to wake up alone, without my alarm clock. I would be served breakfast in bed and read the newspaper while drinking coffee. Then I would talk and laugh together with my children. At lunch time the weather is nice and we take a long walk around the Akropolis. We would sit down at a small tavern where some old Rembetika singer with a harsh voice would sing and play. Together with friends we will eat, laugh and sing until the night...maybe even until the morning."



This used to be my supervisor in Mexico. She wants to spend her dreamday at home dressed in a pyjamas and reading a good book.At work she used dress very elegantly and would change clothes twice a day...


This is one of my favorite notes. It says: "To restore my dialogue with Dubravka, a lady who has broken up wth me,"


"My dreamday would be a day when I wake up without realizing it." Continue Reading

A German Woman in Beyoglu, Istanbul

A German woman hoping for her dreamday to become true tomorrow...

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A couple from Austria visiting Istanbul




Notice how the girl tries to remind her boyfriend about her in his dreamday... Continue Reading

A Turkish Guy Living in Holland

This guy is visiting Istanbul with his friends and have just been inside the Blue Mosque. I was lucky to interview him right on his dreamday...

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A Japanese Tourist in Istanbul

It is really hard to get women to contribute to this project. Here I walked up to a Japanese woman just outside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Her tour guide came to resque and translated my question to her. All of a sudden a whole group of Japanese tourists stood in a ring around us and wondered what was going on. The woman did not want to reply but this man was very excited to participate. Here is his dreamday:

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A Guy from Azerbaijan Studying in Istanbul




I met this guy outside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. He is studying journalism in Istanbul and his dreamday would be to have lots of money. Continue Reading

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

A guy from Singapore visiting Athens



Maybe a dreamday is all about the weather after all...? Continue Reading

A greek guy in Athens



If I understand it right this guy speaks about a more general dreamday that could apply on many Greek people. The day, he says, would be a day of visiting nice places and drinking coffee with your friends or famiy speaking about the experience. Continue Reading

Dreamdays in Athens and Istanbul

This summer I went for a holiday to Greece and Turkey. I brougt my camera with me hoping to be able to collect a few more dreamdays. Sometimes I get tired of this dreamdayproject but then as soon as I get a few answers I feel all excited about the project again!

I try to bring my camera as often as I can. Not everytime I find the right occasion to start filming. On this trip I filmed at three different places. Syntagma square in Athens, Greece, Outside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and in Beyoglu in Istanbul. They were three very different places and days.

In Athens I was alone and did not have anyone holding the camera for me. It made it a little harder but the outcome I think was good. The angle got much closer and it feels more direct. I went to Syntagma square at about 10 o clock on a Sunday morning. It was about 41C already and people were very hot, crossing the square in a rush to find shade.

I approached a few different people passing the square. Sometimes in broken Greek and othertimes in English. For some reason, both in Greece and Turkey, women where not so open to respond. The clips I am showing here are therefore mostly guys.

I Istanbul the language was a big problem. There were so many people that I really wanted to ask but when I went up to them and aksed if they spoke English almost everyone said no. The replies that I eventually collected were mostly tourists. Some with Turkish background but who where living in for example Austria or the Netherlands.
Most of them had just been inside the Blue Mosque and were quite relaxed and positive to respond.

A few days later I decided to change spot and stand on the major street in the area Beyoglu which is a trendy and more modern part of the town. Here it was very hard to find anyone speaking English. I got a few replies and then decided to call it off for the day.

Here is a clip while trying to find people to interview just outside the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia:

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Sunday, October 21, 2007

Ronnie´s dreamday






Ronnie´s dreamday would be to get a contract with WWE or to earn wht Bill Gates earns in a year or to be happy and positive or own 5-10% of what Narutos is earning from books and DVDs or just to have the day of together with my friends out in the world.

Ronnie is from Varberg, Sweden Continue Reading

Kåre´s dreamday



My dreamday would be to all of a sudden understand who I am Continue Reading

Henry´s dreamday



This note is from 2002. Henry wants to take an early swim in the sea on his dreamday. After that a long walk and then listen to a radio show. In the afternoon he wants to go to a special ice-cream place in Varberg called Tre Toppar where they sell huge ice-creams. Continue Reading

Roger´s dreamday



This note I think is from 2003. Roger wants to take the boat and go for a picknick with his friends. They spend the day in the sun and in the shadow, talking and playing games and most importantly, have a bbq. In the evening when it gets cold, they cover themselves with blankets and finally take the boat back home. Continue Reading

Dreamdayproject is filming in Göteborg, Sweden



This is a couple who have been married for over forty years. They are in the middle of a dreamday right now, taking in stroll back home after a nice lunch. Actually, most of their days are dreamdays they say, as long as they are in good health. Continue Reading