Dream Child, Real Child

We dream at every age, perhaps most intensely in childhood and youth. A dream is the source and beginning of reality. A dream is a hope that is not real but that we often wish would come true. Reality feeds on dreams, and dreams on reality. Through their dreams, children discover, give direction to their lives and begin to build their own worlds. At the root of creation there is always a dream.

In early childhood the boundary between dream and reality is blurred, but as children grow older the boundaries become sharper, and the dream is in danger of being pushed aside.

You would be surprised to see a teapot flying through the air, wouldn’t you? Every adult would be surprised by such a sight. That is exactly why magicians exist: to confound our sense of reality. Children laugh at magicians the most; now and then adults can be seen smiling too. A child laughs with a very different intention – not because they think a teapot cannot fly, but because they set no limits and are open to possibilities, to the idea that anything could happen.

What dreams do children have today, and how do they see themselves? What do their dreams look like? Are dream and reality an inseparable pair? Is a dream the beginning of reality? Do dreams come true? Does reality feed on dreams? Are there dreams we would rather keep hidden in our minds? Do we need to dream? Do our dreams enrich our lives and set us free?

Freely interpreting the concept “Dream or Reality?” is in the hands of our children’s and young people’s creative dreams…

Curators: Maria Sezer, Prof. Dr. Gülçin Aksoy, Leyla Sakpınar, Esra Çelikkanat