স্বপ্ন এবং সরণের সন্ধিক্ষণে | Between Dreams and Displacement - Translation, Immediacy, and Construction of Hybrid Visual Language

As a Bangali non-binary artist, I exist across linguistic and cultural boundaries. My MFA thesis work, titled 'Between Dreams and Displacement', showcased in the group exhibition 'SOMA' installed at Perspective Gallery in Blacksburg, Virginia from March 20 - May 15, 2026, explores how dreams and identity continue to unfold through ongoing translation among parallel states of consciousness, language, and media. The work consists of three animations and a holographic projection sculpture translating 2D ink drawings into motion. This written document records my ideas about, my inspirations for, and my reflections on this artwork. In the context of this research, translation is approached as a generative condition of artistic practice. 'Between Dreams and Displacement' positions dreams as a transitional space where dream figures emerge as manifestations of parallel selves. My dreams are the primary material that provides access to subconscious narratives shaped by cultural upbringing and sociopolitical contexts. This thesis presents them as a culturally conditioned experience that becomes intelligible through animation as an interpretive method. The artistic process emphasizes the immediacy of dream content and unfolds through the production of animation, through physical and digital modes of making, and through motionless and flowing forms. The resulting short animations function as visual narratives of scattered and non-normative identities of the self. Placing the works in the context of Bangali folklore and a surreal meditation on lived experiences, the thesis argues that translation between consciousness, language, and media is a process of adapting and performing the uncensored inner mind. I continually re-examine identity in this research, proposing dream-based animation as a space to reflect on the fragmentations of life.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Fine Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Creative Technologies

Department dc:contributor.department

Art and Art History

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Kabbya, Mir Ahnaf

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Duer, Zachary Raymond

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Weaver, Rachel L.
• Thompto, Chelsea

• Dreams
• Animation
• Surrealism
• Bangla Folklore
• Translation
• Parallel Consciousness

Statement dc:rights

• Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:46967

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/143423