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How Shall I Get Elephants To Stay (a book of dreams)

Preview Here

During sleep, the body and mind repair themselves in order to thrive. It is a time of restoration, where essential truths are revealed in the realm of dreams, engaging all the senses. In dreams, the perception of time and space defies scientific laws. There are no rules in these surreal vistas, only an invitation to explore, untethered, and to uncover the true nature of our fears and desires.

Throughout history, a reverence for the power and meaning of dreams has shaped civilisations. Dreams provide us with a potent awareness of ourselves and our place in the world.

We sleep. We dream.

How Shall I Get Elephants to Stay is a personal account of my vivid dreams, brought to life through my photographs, paintings, and sculptures. The title itself comes from a dream in which I saw myself writing this book. It stands as my testimony to the beauty, wonder, and mystery of the natural world — both within and around us.

In this book, the nature and landscape photographs are unplanned and spontaneous; nothing is staged. Many of them were captured on my phone in the moment they were needed. I'm fascinated by the way dreams and waking life intertwine, often revealing uncanny metaphors that amplify subconscious messages. Bringing this nocturnal awareness into daylight helps me forge a deeper connection with my surroundings, understand my place in the world, and perceive the subtle reciprocity between myself and the environment.

Worldly Possessions – a song beginning with water and ending with flesh.

"In her book How Shall I Get Elephants To Stay Gaynor brings mythical beauty and depth to all her subjects - the human body, rich landscapes and abandoned detritus of our 'civilised' way of life. Her dream stories add yet more otherworldly mystery and a fairytale lens of significance to her perceptions of our external world. A magical, internal journey into the subconscious and awe of our natural surroundings. It's a highly feminine, moonlit exploration into the endless paths within our selves". Kate Daisy Grant - musician (www.katedaisygrant.com), Somatic Experiencing practitioner, Body Psychotherapist

HERE'S THE AUDIO VERSION - HOW SHALL I GET ELEPHANTS TO STAY?

The Solution

80 x 41.5 cm, oil on board

We have to transport a large horse along the waterway on a boat, and when we come to the end of the waterway, we disembark. 

There’s a turnstile to get through and steep concrete steps down to the road. Across the road is a field where the horse will live. We wonder how we will get the horse through the turnstile, let alone down the steep steps.

Then I remember that we don’t need to try and get the horse through the turnstile at all, as next to it is a narrow chalky path cutting down the embankment to the road. Problem solved. 

Having realised this, we turn around to fetch the horse only to see that he has shrunk to the size of a dog. We can now simply carry him down in our arms. We look at him and wonder what his name might be. We all agree at once that his name must be Sebastian. We laugh. 

We put him on a coffee table and give him a drink of water. As he drinks he becomes invisible; only a watery outline remains and this we can only see at certain angles. 

A Dream