To examine the true value of an art exhibit, it is important to explore the method behind an artist's creations. In DreamingNow, the current installation at the Rose Art Museum, nothing is traditional or certain. On Saturday, museum curator Raphaela Platow gave a tour lending an insider's perspective on the unique and surreal world of DreamingNow.Platow explained that the exhibit focused on the communal aspect of dreaming: Everyone has dreams, yet we rarely speak about them.

The first piece shown was Sandra Cinto's "Nights of Hope," a dreamscape drawn on wood with a silver ballpoint pen. Attached to a wall, its seven overlapping panels toyed with viewers' depth perception, giving the piece a uniquely surreal feeling. Platow explained that Cinto was inspired by a Brazilian tradition in which fireworks are ignited to usher in prosperity for the New Year.

According to Platow, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons' "Constellation," "Elevata" and "Rhapsody" are linked because they all feature Polaroid photographs taken by Campos-Pons herself.

Later, viewers watched William Kentridge's film "History of the Main Complaint," which was made in a style of a flipbook using charcoal drawings. The movie featured a character laying unconscious in a hospital bed. A doctor, who is identical to the patient, approached the patient before splitting into eight new figures, all identical. The doctors examined the patient, who was covered in red 'X' marks symbolizing the violence and ignorance of South African apartheid.

Upon entering the next room, guests were forced to regain their balance on the sloped floor of "Falling Bodies Blanket Me," a long-time project of artist David Solow. The floor resembled a roof, a white bed emerging from a large hole in its center. Above it were thousands of strips of blankets, which, as Platow remarked, were reminiscent of the Dome of the Rock. In the piece, Solow explors the concept of communal identity by projecting naked images of himself and others onto the installation.

Descending a staircase, guests saw an immense yarn structure created by Chiharu Shiota that is shaped like a spider's web. It stretches from the floor to the top of the stairs. Platow explained that 300 skeins of yarn were provided for Shiota, who spent eight days wrapping the yarn into the sculpture. Beds interspersed throughout the structure represented the communality of dreaming.

Marina Abramovic's "Dream Bed" invites visitors to dream in public. Abramovic, a performance artist famous for enabling viewers to interact with her art, invited several lucky participants to sleep in the bed. After signing a contract and agreeing to stay in the bed for an hour, guests put on yellow overalls-"dream clothes"-and lay on a special pillow with crystals.

The crystals-as well as magnets embedded in the jumpsuit-supposedly helped enhance the flow of the blood, aiding participants to fall asleep faster and dream more vividly. Afterwards, guests recorded their dreams in a log book. Abramovic hopes to create similar beds across the globe and eventually create a public dream library.

The final piece on the tour was Frans Jacobi's "Spiders from Mars," which featured a continuously-played audio track of President Bush speaking about the torture that occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. A photo negative of the White House was found on the installation's wall. A light-emitting oval structure representing Jacobi's own oval office was found in the center of the room. The work aimed at reflecting on the political implications of communal thought.

While each piece was unique, Platow's talk and tour gave the context for the continuity of the impressive exhibition. DreamingNow's exploration into the state of dreaming and communal thought offered visitors an interactive and enjoyable evening.